Five Things to Watch on Sunday | Chiefs vs. Chargers
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Chiefs.com
Here are some notes to know going into the game

Sep 20, 2024 at 02:23 PM
Matt McMullen
Chiefs Reporter
The Kansas City Chiefs will look to stick in the win column this Sunday as they take on the Los Angeles Chargers in their first divisional matchup of the year.

Here are five things to keep in mind heading into game day.

1. Here’s a look at the final injury report for both teams.

The only injury of note for Kansas City is defensive end Mike Danna, who won’t play on Sunday due to a calf injury.

Additionally, running back Kareem Hunt will be available on Sunday after signing with Kansas City last week. Hunt, who initially joined the practice squad on September 17, was elevated to the active roster earlier this week.

“I thought he had a good week of practice last week,” said Head Coach Andy Reid. “He took the majority of the scout team reps, and it looks like he’s in pretty good shape. Now, the next step is just getting him in the game. He’ll rotate in and we’ll see how he does.”

As for the Chargers, their injury report is significant. Offensively, Los Angeles will be without starting left tackle Rashawn Slater (pectoral) on Sunday, and starting right tackle Joe Alt (knee) is listed as “Questionable.” Quarterback Justin Herbert is also listed as “Questionable” as he continues to deal with an ankle injury. Herbert, who originally suffered an ankle sprain in Week 2, appeared to re-aggravate the injury last week and left the game early. So, even if Herbert plays, his status will be something to monitor throughout the game.

Defensively, Los Angeles will not have edge rusher Joey Bosa due to a hip injury. Bosa is among the best pass-rushers in the NFL, and his absence is a major blow to the Chargers’ pass-rush. The secondary will be missing a key piece, too, as safety Derwin James is suspended for Sunday’s game. Starting cornerbacks Kristian Fulton (knee) and Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula) are also at risk of missing the game with “Questionable” designations heading into Sunday.

It’s a lengthy injury report, but regardless of some significant losses for the Chargers, the Chiefs’ preparation remained the same according to Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

“We’ll see who they put out there, but to us, it doesn’t matter,” Spagnuolo said. “We’re going to defend the scheme and try to play our best football.”

2. The Chargers have embraced a run-first identity on offense.

Los Angeles’ offense is coordinated by Greg Roman, who is best known as the architect of the high-powered running games deployed by the San Francisco 49ers (2011-14) and Baltimore Ravens (2019-22) in recent years. Roman is now in charge of Los Angeles’ offensive scheme, and his general philosophy has remained the same.

In fact, the Chargers have thrown the football at the fourth-lowest rate in the NFL through three games this season (44.5%). Additionally, Los Angeles has elected to run the ball on first down at the third-highest rate in the league (66.7%) behind only Green Bay (77.5%) and Pittsburgh (68.4%).

The scheme has mostly worked, too, behind the efforts of veteran tailback J.K. Dobbins, who currently ranks third in the NFL with 310 rushing yards. Dobbins, who is averaging a ridiculous 7.4 yards-per-carry on the year, was particularly effective through the Chargers’ first two games of the season. He topped at least 130 rushing yards in each, tallying multiple runs of double-digit yardage and at least four broken tackles in both contests.

Last week against Pittsburgh, however, was a different story. The Steelers held Dobbins to just 44 rushing yards on 15 attempts, and as a result, the Chargers’ offense failed to pick up a first down on five of their nine offensive possessions.

It’s all to say that containing Dobbins is one of the major keys for the Chiefs’ defense on Sunday, and fortunately, Kansas City has done an excellent job of limiting opposing running backs so far this season. Opposing tailbacks have combined to average just 3.3 yards-per-carry against Kansas City through three games, and looking at last week specifically, Falcons’ tailback Bijan Robinson averaged just 1.9 yards-per-carry on 16 attempts.

A similar effort on Sunday would go a long way toward another Kansas City victory.

3. Los Angeles owns the No. 3 scoring defense in the NFL.

The Chargers have allowed an average of just 11 points-per-game this year, which ranks third in the NFL. Los Angeles has also yielded the fewest red zone drives in the league (5) and the second-fewest first downs of any team (41).

Los Angeles’ top playmaker this year has unsurprisingly been edge rusher Khalil Mack, who leads the Chargers in pressures (9), quarterback hits (4) and sacks (2.5).

Kansas City didn’t yield a sack last week and moved the ball effectively, driving into Falcons’ territory on six of nine total possessions, but the primary reason the game came down to the wire was due to the Chiefs’ struggles in the red zone. Kansas City is just 4-for-9 in the red zone in terms of touchdown efficiency this year, so improving in that area will be a priority on Sunday and beyond.

Round 7 and the Draft is finished.

1 (221) Bills select Travis Clayton England OG
2 (222) Commanders select Javontae Jean-Baptiste Notre Dame EDGE
3 (223) Raiders select Trey Taylor Air Force S
4 (224) Bengls select Daijahn Anthony Ole Miss S
5 (225) Chargers select Brenden Rice USC WR
6 (226) Cardinals select Jaden Davis Miami CB
7 (227) Browns select Myles Harden South Dakota CB
8 (228) Ravens select Nick Samac Michigan State C
9 (229) Raiders select M.J. Devonshire Pittsburgh CB
10 (230) Vikings select Michael Jurgens Wake Forest C
11 (231) Patriots select Jaheim Bell Florida State TE
12 (232) Vikings select Levi Drake Rodriguez Texas A&M-Commerce DT
13 (233) Cowboys select Nathan Thomas Louisiana OT
14 (234) Colts select Jonah Laulu Oklahoma DT
15 (235) Broncos select Devaughn Vele Utah WR
16 (236) Jaguars select Myles Cole Texas Tech EDGE
17 (237) Bengals select Matt Lee Miami C
18 (238) Texans Solomon Byrd USC EDGE
19 (239) Saints select Josiah Ezirim Eastern Kentucky OT
20 (240) Panthers select Michael Barrett Michigan LB
21 (241) Dolphins select Tahj Washington USC WR
22 (242) Titans select James Williams Miami S
23 (243) Browns select Jowon Briggs Cincinnati DT
24 (244) Cowboys select Justin Rogers Auburn DT
25 (245) Packers select Michael Pratt Tulane QB
26 (246) Buccaneers select Devin Culp Washington TE
27 (247) Texans select Marcus Harris Auburn DT
28 (248) Chiefs select C.J. Hanson Holy Cross OG
29 (249) Texans select LaDarius Henderson Michigan OT
30 (250) Ravens select Sanoussi Kane Purdue S
31 (251) 49ers select Tatum Bethune Florida State LB
32 (252) Titans select Jaylen Harrell Michigan EDGE
33 (253) Chargers select Cornelius Johnson Michigan WR
34 (254) Rams select KT Leveston Kansas State OG
35 (255) Packers select Kalen King Penn State CB
36 (256) Broncos select Nick Gargiulo South Carolina C
37 (257) Jets select Jaylen Key Alabama S

Round 6 is Complete

1 (177) Vikings Select Walter Rouse Oklahoma OT
2 (178) Steelers select Logan Lee Iowa DT
3 (179) Seahawks Select Sataoa Laumea Utah OG
4 (180) Patriots select Marcellas Dial South Carolina CB
5 (181) Chargers select Kimani Vidal Troy RB
6 (182) Titans select Jha’Quan Jackson Tulane WR
7 (183) Giants select Darius Muasau UCLA LB
8 (184) Dolphins select Malik Washington Virginia WR
9 (185) Eagles select Johnny Wilson Florida State WR
10 (186) Falcons select Jase McClellan Alabama RB
11 (187) Falcons select Casey Washington Illinois WR
12 (188) Texans select Jamal Hill Oregon LB
13 (189) Lions select Mekhi Wingo LSU DT
14 (190) Eagles select Dylan McMahon NC State OG
15 (191) Cardinals select Tejhaun Palmer UAB WR
16 (192) Seahawks select D.J. James Auburn CB
17 (193) Patriots select Joe Milton III Tennessee QB
18 (194) Bengals select Tanner McLachlan Arizona TE
19 (195) Steelers select Ryan Watts Texas CB
20 (196) Rams select Tyler Davis Clemson DT
21 (197) Falcons select Zion Logue Georgia DT
22 (198) Dolphins select Patrick McMorris California S
23 (199) Saints select Khristian Boyd Northern Iowa DT
24 (200) Panthers select Jaden Crumedy Mississippi State DT
25 (201) Colts select Micah Abraham Marshall CB
26 (202) Packers select Travis Glover Georgia State OT
27 (203) Vikings select Will Reichard Alabama PK
28 (204) Bills select Tylan Grable UCF OT
29 (205) Texans select Jawhar Jordan Louisville RB
30 (206) Browns select Nathaniel Watson Mississippi State LB
31 (207) Seahawks select Michael Jerrell Findlay OT
32 (208) Raiders select Dylan Laube New Hampshire RB
33 (209) Rams select Joshua Karty Stanford PK
34 (210) Lions select Christian Mahogany Boston College OG
35 (211) Chiefs select Kamal Hadden Tennessee CB
36 (212) Jaguars select Cam Little Arkansas PK
37 (213) Rams select Jordan Whittington Texas WR
38 (214) Bengals select Cedric Johnson Ole Miss EDGE
39 (215) 49ers select Jarrett Kingston USC OG
40 (216) Cowboys select Ryan Flournoy Southeast Missouri State WR
41 (217) Rams select Beaux Limmer Arkansas C
42 (218) Ravens select Devin Leary Kentucky QB
43 (219) Bills select Daequan Hardy Penn State CB
44 (220) Buccaneers Elijah Klein UTEP OG

BTW, the Royals look pretty good, this year (as do the Cubs).

@Chiefs4life24 376665 wrote:

It’s up to you if you wanna do it you can

I’m going to watch the Cubs game but if you don’t feel up to it, I’ll just post the picks after the conclusion of each round.

@Chiefs4life24 376663 wrote:

Sorry Roy I over slept was exhausted

No problem. I’ll finish up round 5. Do you want to take over from here?

26 (161) Commanders select Dominique Hampton Washington S
27 (162) Cardinals select Christian Jones Texas OT
28 (163) Packers select Jacob Monk Duke C
29 (164) Colts select Jaylin Simpson Auburn S
30 (165) Ravens select Rasheen Ali Marshall RB