3 reasons why the Chiefs are a very beatable opponent for the Chargers
By Jason Reed
2. The Chiefs are not a good running team
The Chargers' biggest weakness defensively is their inability to stop the run. The Bolts rank dead-last in rushing yards allowed per attempt and have been gashed for big run after big run this season. Promisingly, the Chargers actually put together a decent game against the run in Week 10, holding a lethal 49ers' rushing attack in place.
The 49ers still ran the ball well but it could have been far worse than it was. Luckily this week, the Chargers do not have to worry about the same kind of rushing attack as the Chiefs are not very dangerous in that regard.
That is not to say that the Chiefs won't have any success running the ball in Week 11 (almost every team has success against the Bolts), but it does help that they don't play into the team's biggest weakness. Kansas City ranks 21st in rushing yards, 20th in rushing touchdowns and 16th in yards per rush.
The team's top rusher on the season, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, has seemingly played himself out of the offensive rotation in recent weeks, paving the way for Isaiah Pacheco. Pacheco has shown a lot of promise in his rookie season but he certainly is not a Christian McCaffrey, Cordarelle Patterson or Kenneth Walker.
Patrick Mahomes is still very hard to slow down (obviously) but the lack of a great run game will play into the Chargers' hands and allow them to play more into the shell coverages that they have succeeded against Mahomes with.
Speaking of Mahomes and the passing game...