As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face off against the lowly Los Angeles Chargers, they cannot afford to take the hapless Jim Harbaugh-led squad for granted. It is a divisional game against a team that has put KC in uncomfortable positions in the past.
But it's hard to see too many paths to the Chargers winning this game, let alone staying competitive in it. Their entire offensive line will be backups; the secondary will be without arguably its two best players, Derwin James and Donte Jackson. And the highly paid Justin Hebert is playing some of the worst football of his career under an offensive scheme that is not doing him any favors.
Nevertheless, the Chiefs need to win this game. It would put them at 5-0 with a commanding 3-0 record over the rest of the division. Last season, the Chiefs won just one of six games in the division. This year, it looks like Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are getting back to their dominant ways.
This trio of Chiefs players must do their part in securing a commanding lead over the AFC West in Week 6 Sunday showdown versus the Chargers
Patrick Mahomes
Yeah, I get it. It's Patrick Mahomes; he's probably going to play really well. And I agree, he probably should be able to. Which is why I'm putting even more onus on him to go out there and get it done. This will be the fifth week without starting left tackle Josh Simmons, and the first without wide receivers Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton.
Mahomes will certainly continue to benefit from a strong running game led by Kenneth Walker III, but he needs to be able to marry that, as he has been doing all season by hitting the explosive plays down the field. The only problem is that without Rice and Thornton, I'm not sure the rest of the Chiefs' receiving corps is all that capable of creating explosive plays.
Mahomes spoke earlier this week about how he wants the offense to do a better job matriculating the ball down the field, consistently, drive after drive. To have success this week, regardless of opponent; that might have to be how Kansas City scores the ball. Mahomes carving the Chargers up with his mind, rather than his otherworldly talent.
Chris Jones
We are sticking with Chiefs superstars for this week's players to watch by including defensive tackle Chris Jones. At age 32, Jones is no spring chicken at this point in his career. His big-play moments are beginning to come less frequently than they used to. But don't get it twisted. Jones is still one of the best in the game and retains the ability to take over a football game.
Whether or not he unleashes the beast in this game or not will be answered tomorrow. What the Chiefs need from Jones is just that little extra notch on more snaps than not. In four games, he has yet to record a sack, has pressured the quarterback 11 times, and has recorded just 2 QB hits.
This week, he and the Chiefs defensive line are facing a Chargers o-line that, as I mentioned earlier, is all backups. There is simply no excuse for the KC to not get to Herbert this week and put him on the ground multiple times. They have the talent, and Jones is at the forefront of that. He needs to show up.
Alohi Gilman
Let's take a pivot from all-time Chiefs greats to a highly sought-after free-agent target for Brett Veach this offseason. Kansas City signed Alohi Gilman to a three-year, $24 million deal in early March, and so far, his first four games as a Chief have been somewhat uninspiring.
Gilman has been fine, with a grand total of 17 tackles and one pass deflection. But in coverage, he has given up 86 yards on six catches for a touchdown on a 110-plus QB rating. He's missed a couple of tackles and been late to some of his defensive assignments.
With the 0-5 Chargers looking for answers on offense, they may just go full YOLO mode and opt for Justin Herbert's big arm to save the day. As a safety, Gilman is the last line of defense for long balls down the field. If there is one thing Herbert is really good at, it's chucking the ball downfield. Gilman must limit LA's big-play ability through the air in this one.
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