Kansas City Chiefs: Predicting results of every game in 2020
Week 17 – Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Chargers (Cullen)
Here’s what makes this matchup so intriguing: it could very well mean absolutely nothing for the Kansas City Chiefs while meaning a trip to the playoffs for the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs, if they’ve got things wrapped up, may be content with playing their starters only sparingly while the Chargers may be playing for their literal jobs.
Of course, with playoff expansion meaning that only the No. 1-seeded team gets a bye in the first week of the playoffs, chances are this game means something to both teams, which is probably what the NFL wanted all along. The league, I imagine, didn’t want its marquee player sitting out even one-half of a game.
I’ll be interested in seeing who’s under center for the Chargers at this point of the season. Will Tyrod Taylor still be the starter or will Justin Herbert, his heir apparent, have taken over? If it’s Taylor, then the Chargers will be playing for something. If Herbert, then L.A. may already be looking toward 2021. Regardless of who it is, though, the result will remain the same.
Prediction: In the final game of the season, the Chiefs knock off the Chargers in a tightly contested game, 35-31.
Player to Pop: How about Patrick Mahomes? The Chiefs score five touchdowns in this game, and he takes part in all of them, with four touchdown passes spread out to four different teammates, plus he adds another with his legs on a little scamper to put a bow on things late in the fourth.