How the LA Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs: Run the ball, drain the clock
The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl Champions and no game against them is going to be easy. While the Chargers played well in their two matchups last season, the Chiefs have had the Chargers’ number for the last six seasons.
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The Chiefs are 11-1 against the Chargers in the last 12 meetings between the two teams with the only win for the Bolts being that miraculous 14-point comeback late in the fourth quarter that included a gutsy two-point conversion to win it.
So I say this with the caution of sounding too optimistic: the Chargers can beat the Chiefs if they run the ball and control the clock. It is going to be tough, it is going to take the perfect game, but it is doable.
The Chiefs are not great against the run. They allowed the seventh-most rushing yards per game last season and the fifth most rushing yards the year prior. Kansas City’s defense sneakily got better last season, but there were still holes against the run.
The Chargers have to embrace an offense very similar to the Baltimore Ravens when they lpay the Kansas City Chiefs and use a lot of heavy packages with pre-snap movement, utilizing all of Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, Justin Jackson AND Tyrod Taylor.
The team can even get creative with Joe Reed. This will open the door for dink and dunk passes to the tight ends and to Keenan Allen and could open the field up for Mike Williams. RPOs should be utilized and the Chargers should be concerned with sucking all of the life out of the clock.
Keep Patrick Mahomes off the field and hope that will lead to him being rusty, giving the defense a better chance to make a stop.
Put pressure on Mahomes early in the drive to try and stop the drive before it gets going to keep him cold, then hopefully keep him cold by keeping him off the field. It takes near-perfect execution, but it is possible with who the tea has at quarterback and who is around him.
No more gunslinging. The Bolts need a creative offense against the Chiefs.