The LA Chargers will play their second consecutive game on Sunday Night Football in Week 11 as the team takes on the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs. This is a big game for the Chargers as a win in Week 11 could propel the team into a late-season run as the team continues to get players back from injury.
A win would catapult the Chargers to 6-4 and would give them a great chance of reaching 10 wins, which will likely be the benchmark to be a playoff team in the AFC. A 5-5 record does not put them out of it but will require them to finish 5-2.
Kansas City is undoubtedly a great football team. There is no way around it. But even with the injuries the Chargers have and how ugly it has looked at time, the Chiefs are actually a really good matchup for the Chargers. This obviously does not guarantee a win, as the Chiefs are a very good football team, but it is a winnable matchup for the Bolts.
3 reasons why the Chiefs are a very beatable opponent for the Chargers:
1. The Chiefs have an exploitable secondary
To be clear, this doesn't really apply if the Chargers don't at least get one of Mike Williams or Keenan Allen back in this game. Both practiced on Wednesday but their statuses are unclear. If the same receiving corps is out there that was playing in Week 10 then the Bolts are not going to be able to exploit this as much as they could otherwise.
The Chiefs' defense has been good enough for them this season and has been especially good against the run. The Chargers are not a good running team and have plenty of evidence to prove that, so we should see a pass-heavy approach by Joe Lombardi and co.
As far as the passing defense goes, the Chiefs are definitely an easy team to attack. Kansas City ranks 25th in passing yards allowed and dead last in passing touchdowns allowed. They don't take the ball away very much either, intercepting just three passes this year (one of which being the game-winning interception against the Chargers).
Mike Williams has owned this matchup in recent years and if Keenan Allen is back then the passing game is going to look completely different than it has the past few weeks for the Bolts.