KC Chiefs: Do Not Count Out San Diego Chargers

The KC Chiefs open their 2016 campaign with a home game against the division rival San Diego Chargers. While many are chalking this up as a win, don’t be so sure of it.

From 2006-2009, the San Diego Chargers owned the AFC West. They made playoff runs during that span, and even made it all the way to AFC Championship game in 2007.

Point being that for a period of time, the Chargers were the team to beat in the West.

It’s not like that anymore, however, as the Chargers are coming off a 4-12 record, their worst season since they posted the same record in 2003, which resulted in them getting Philip Rivers in the draft (well, technically the Giants did, but we all know how that turned out).

[San Diego’s] offense will still be tremendous with Rivers under center, and the Chiefs have little help in the pass rush and a very young secondary.

The 2015 season was the worst season under quarterback Philip Rivers, but the former NC State standout still had a nice season. A lack of an offensive line hurt him at times, but the lack of defense was the Achilles heel of the team.

2016 is a new season for San Diego though. They nearly lost their team to Los Angeles (which honestly could still happen) and they’re going to rebound from a terrible 2015 season in which injuries plagued their team.

While the Chargers aren’t getting much national praise, Kansas City Chiefs fans know what San Diego is capable of doing on the gridiron. This is a team that went 13-4 against the Chiefs before the 2014 season, and just always seemed to put the smackdown on when it really mattered.

Now this isn’t a post saying that I think the Chargers will win on Sunday, but I won’t be shocked if it’s a close game or if San Diego does pull off “the upset”. Their offense will still be tremendous with Rivers under center, and the Chiefs have little help in the pass rush and a very young secondary. That could spell disaster for Kansas City.

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Derek Anselmo of Bolt Beat predicted that the Chargers would take the W at Arrowhead Stadium, despite his team not doing well the year prior. His post shows that Chargers fans are confident in their team for this season, and it was something I found interesting.

Most of the time when teams have losing records the year before, their fans are counting them out for the next year too. I never thought the 2013 Chiefs would have the kind of season they did after going 2-14 in 2012 and having the WORST season in franchise history.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the KC Chiefs have swept San Diego the past two seasons. That right there is something to be weary of, as it means the Bolts are due for a win against Kansas City.

The good part is that the Chargers’ defense is nothing to write home about. They lost Eric Weddle in free agency and they really don’t have any big name players on that defense. It shouldn’t be difficult for the Chiefs to run all over them.

Next: Predicting Each Game of 2016 Season

The AFC West is going to be a fun division to watch this season. The Broncos still have a phenomenal defense, the Raiders are blossoming into what could become a great team, the Chargers have Philip Rivers, and the Chiefs have one of the best rosters they’ve had in years.

What do you think, Chiefs fans? Should people be a little more concerned about this game or will this be a cakewalk for the Kansas City Chiefs?

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