Chargers: A win in Mexico changes everything
By Travis Wakeman
After a loss to the Oakland Raiders last Thursday night, many fans of the Los Angeles Chargers have been hanging their heads without much hope of things looking up.
The loss dropped the Chargers to 4-6 on the season, casting a huge shadow over what was supposed to be such a big season for the team. But just days later, things changed a bit.
The Kansas City Chiefs got their quarterback back on the field. Patrick Mahomes not only showed he has recovered from a dislocated knee, but he shredded the defense of the Tennessee Titans to the tune of 446 yards passing and three touchdowns.
The Titans still found a way to steal the game from the Chiefs, dropping them to 6-4 on the year. Suddenly, the Chargers are only two games back from the division lead and guess who they face in Mexico City in Week 11?
That’s right, the Chiefs.
It’s hard to believe in the Chargers right now, but if they can find a way to beat the Chiefs in Mexico next Monday night, they would be just one game back in the race. There would be a lot that would still need to be settled, but to think that the season is over after that tough loss to Oakland is off base.
There are still six games remaining and only two games separate the Chiefs and Chargers. Here are the remaining schedules for each team.
Chiefs:
At Chargers (in Mexico)
BYE
Vs. Oakland
At New England Patriots
Vs. Denver Broncos
At Chicago Bears
Vs. Chargers
Raiders:
Vs. Cincinnati Bengals
At New York Jets
At Kansas City
Vs. Tennessee
Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
At Chargers
At Broncos
Chargers:
Vs. Chiefs (In Mexico)
BYE
At Broncos
At Jaguars
Vs. Minnesota Vikings
vs. Raiders
At Chiefs
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Looking at these, it certainly looks like the Raiders have the most favorable schedule by getting to face the Jets and Bengals. They also only have three more games inside the division while the Chargers and Chiefs each have four.
That’s one of the things that makes next Monday’s game so important. A loss would drop the Chargers to 4-7 and their playoff hopes would be all but extinguished at that point. However, a win and things are completely different.
The Chargers would be 5-6, the Chiefs would be 6-5 and the Raiders, at best, would be 6-4. That would make for an extremely interesting race during the final month or so of the season.
So while feelings on the Chargers at the moment are likely not real positive, a win at Aztec Stadium could change everything.
Not long ago, the Chiefs looked nearly unbeatable, but the Titans proved that even when Mahomes is rolling, they are. Now, the Chargers need to treat them the same way and take the fight to them in Mexico.