The Los Angeles Chargers' Week 7 will be nothing short of a challenging one, as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The now 2-3 Chargers are coming off yet another close, debilitating late fourth-quarter loss, while the 5-1 Chiefs have won five straight and will host their AFC West rivals this Sunday.
There are a lot of questions being asked around the Chargers' camp after their 20-17 Monday Night Football loss to the Dallas Cowboys. These are, however, the same questions that have been asked during most of the Brandon Staley tenure as head coach.
Going back to last season, the Chargers have six losses where they've lost by three points or less. That's the second most in the NFL. Remember, this is a defensively-minded head coach in Staley, who also went on a spending barrage with his defense last season, spending the most of any team in the NFL. So where are the results? Because 2-3 definitely doesn't signify a defensively strong team. And it's not as if the offense, which is top-10 in passing, scoring, and total offense, is the problem.
Sunday's matchup against the Chiefs is one that could be problematic for the Chargers, where defense will be the key. It will be one of the league's best (Chiefs) against one of the league's worst (Chargers). So, let's get into some Chargers Week 7 predictions.
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Chargers pick off Patrick Mahomes at least once
We all know what Patrick Mahomes is capable of due to his overwhelming athletic abilities. No one is better in the league at countering their mistakes than the Chiefs' quarterback. What's surprising about Mahomes so far this season is that he's almost averaging an interception a game this year, throwing five in six games thus far. He's only been interception-free in two games. If the Chargers hope to make any sort of impact defensively in this game, picking off Mahomes will help.
Chargers hold Travis Kelce to 55 yards, no touchdowns
Let's face it, the Chargers need a big game, and a big game defensively at that. Better yet, they need to stop Travis Kelce, who is still dealing with an ankle injury, although he's been full-go in practice this week for the Chiefs. Kelce has only been held under 60 yards and six receptions once this season, in his first game against the Jacksonville Jaguars (four receptions, 26 yards). He's coming off his season's best versus the Denver Broncos last week, where he caught nine receptions for 124 yards but no touchdowns.
The good news for Los Angeles is that they've only allowed 184 yards and one touchdown to a tight end this season, per CBS Fantasy. Kelce isn't just any tight end, though. The Chargers hold him to his second-lowest yardage total this season and no scores… somehow.
Justin Herbert throws for 230 and two touchdowns
Justin Herbert is going to need a strong game to give the Chargers a chance in this game. He's going against a defense that is allowing just 14 points a game and doesn't allow quarterbacks to throw for more than 183 yards a game. Herbert is at least going to need to throw for two touchdowns and 230 yards, which is possible given his talent. The other issue is that he's going to need to stay mistake-free as well. He's only thrown two picks this season, although last week's one was a crucial game-ending one against the Cowboys.
Chargers lose to the Chiefs, going to 2-4 on the season
In their last 18 meetings, dating back all the way to 2014, the Chargers have only beaten the Chiefs three times, according to The Football Database. The Chiefs have owned the AFC West for some time now, especially since Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes became a thing. That's just one factor that goes into this game. Some others are the mentioned differences in defenses between both teams, with the Chiefs having one of the best in the entire league and the Chargers not.
The other factor is that the Chiefs are coming off extra rest given their Thursday Night Football game against the Broncos, in comparison to the Chargers' Monday Night Football game against the Cowboys. A more rested, more prepared, better-coached Reid team at Arrowhead Stadium with Mahomes and Kelce, and a daunting defense seems like a bad combination for a team that can't figure out how to hold onto leads late in games. Chargers lose to the Chiefs, 29-20. At the Chargers biggest fan won't have to see this one in person.
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