| Chargers, Chiefs, Seek to Break Out of Rut
(Sports Network) - As they prepare to square off in the front end of their annual home-and-home on Sunday, the San Diego Chargers and visiting Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in the same place.
Though somehow it doesn't feel that way.
Both AFC West rivals currently reside in a 1-2 muddle in the division, tied with the Raiders and one game back of the Denver Broncos. Where the Chargers and Chiefs are going is anyone's guess, though pretty much everyone is guessing that San Diego will rebound from its slow start to make a playoff run, while Kansas City gradually drifts to a resting place somewhere near the bottom of the division.
One season removed from a league-best 14-2 finish, and with basically their entire '06 team returning intact, the struggles of the Chargers have been a league-wide surprise. One Sunday after getting humbled on national television by New England (38-14), the Bolts were upset by what was viewed by most as a mediocre Green Bay team (31-24).
The snail-like start of running back LaDainian Tomlinson and the work of a defense that hasn't regained its former stifling nature have been offered up as major causes of the negative run, and the common talk radio scapegoat for those deficiencies has naturally been first-year head coach Norv Turner.
Needless to say, if Turner can't get the San Diego ship turned around pretty soon, he's going to have some explaining to do to a fan base that hasn't felt the warm breeze of a playoff win since the first time O.J. was incarcerated.
Kansas City was a team that entered 2007 with fewer expectations, which is why the team's 1-2 start has startled close to no one.
Though the fact that the offense has been nearly non-existent, managing all of two touchdowns including none by Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson through three weeks, has been something of a surprise.
Unlike the Chargers, the Chiefs will enter Week 4 fresh off a win, as the team outlasted Minnesota by a 13-10 count in their home opener last Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY
Kansas City holds a 49-43-1 lead in a regular season series with San Diego that dates back to 1960, when the Chiefs franchise was known as the Dallas Texans and the Chargers resided in Los Angeles. The teams split a home-and- home last season, with Kansas City coming up a 30-27 winner at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 7, and San Diego returning the favor with a 20-9 victory in Week 15. The home team has won the last five games in the series, and Kansas City is 0-3 in San Diego since last winning there in 2003.
In addition to their regular season history, the teams have met once in the postseason, with the Chargers scoring a 17-0 home victory over the Chiefs in a 1992 AFC First-Round Playoff.
Kansas City head coach Herm Edwards is 4-2 in his career against the Chargers, including 3-1 while with the Jets (2001-05). One of Edwards' wins was a 20-17 overtime triumph in a 2004 AFC First-Round Playoff from Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego's Turner is 0-5 against the Chiefs as a head coach, including 0-4 while he was with the Oakland Raiders in 2004 and 2005, and is 0-1 head-to-head against Edwards.
WHEN THE CHIEFS HAVE THE BALL
Most of Kansas City's numerous offensive problems can be laid at the feet of a line that most of the world knew was going to be a trouble spot for the Chiefs coming into the season. The departures of guard Will Shields and tackle Willie Roaf over the last few years have meant a thinner force protecting not- particularly-mobile quarterback Damon Huard (549 passing yards, 2 TD, 3 INT) and blocking for the undeniably talented Johnson (140 rushing yards, 11 receptions). Huard has not been great thus far, but has been on the throwing end of both Kansas City TDs on the year, each going to rookie wideout Dwayne Bowe (10 receptions, 2 TD). Bowe's TD against Minnesota last week gave the Chiefs the lead for good in the fourth quarter. In addition to establishing Johnson, Kansas City will also want to get perennial Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez (16 receptions) some more touches. Gonzalez leads the team in receptions and yards (167), but if he fails to score a touchdown for an eighth straight regular season on Sunday, that will mark his longest such span since 1998. The Chiefs o-line has surrendered eight sacks on the season thus far.
Though some have questioned where the defense of the Marty Schottenheimer regime have gone, a close look reveals that it's still very much there, for better or for worse. The secondary remains the weak link in the defensive chain, giving up 369 yards and several big plays to Packers QB Brett Favre last Sunday. Cornerbacks Quentin Jammer (15 tackles) and Drayton Florence (13 tackles) should have an easier time against a less potent passing attack this week, as should safeties Marlon McCree (19 tackles, 1 INT) and Clinton Hart (16 tackles, 1 INT). San Diego will have to get some pressure on Huard to assist its secondary, with linebacker Shawne Merriman (10 tackles, 2 sacks) among the players seeking to regain his dominant form of a year ago. In the run-stopping unit, tackle Jamal Williams (8 tackles) and inside linebacker Stephen Cooper (26 tackles) spark a group that surrenders less than 90 ground yards per game.
WHEN THE CHARGERS HAVE THE BALL
Tomlinson's poor start is very difficult to explain, apart from the fact that the team has played two elite-level defenses (Bears, Patriots) and a pretty good one (Packers) so far. The passing game has also failed to take the requisite pressure off of Tomlinson (130 rushing yards, 14 receptions, 2 TD), with Philip Rivers (675 passing yards, 5 TD, 4 INT) enduring some shaky moments through the first three weeks. Philip Rivers needs to cut down on the mistakes and continue to work the ball to tight end Antonio Gates (27 receptions, 2 TD), who continued a strong 2007 with 11 catches for 113 yards and a score against Green Bay last Sunday. Also recording TD catches in the loss were receivers Vincent Jackson (13 receptions, 1 TD) and Buster Davis (6 receptions, 1 TD), with the rookie Davis making his count for career NFL score number one. A San Diego offensive line that perhaps overachieved for the past few seasons has been far from perfect in '07, surrendering eight sacks through three weeks.
The Chiefs defense has done a decent job so far in 2007, but the fact that the team has played the unspectacular offenses of the Texans, Bears, and Vikings perhaps indicates that its toughest work is still ahead. The team does rank among league leaders with 10 sacks through three games, and ends Jared Allen (8 tackles, 2 sacks), Tamba Hali (11 tackles, 2 sacks), and linebacker Derrick Johnson (23 tackles, 2 sacks) will be among the players seeking to boost that total against Philip Rivers on Sunday. Seeking to slow Tomlinson will be a linebacking corps led by Johnson, Napoleon Harris (24 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT), and ex-Charger Donnie Edwards (21 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT). Edwards was a member of the San Diego roster from 2002 through 2006, and defected back to Kansas City via free agency in the offseason. Veteran corners Ty Law (10 tackles) and Patrick Surtain (6 tackles) will match up with the young Chargers receivers, with blossoming safeties Jarrad Page (12 tackles, 1 sack) and Bernard Pollard (13 tackles) offering help over the top.
FANTASY FOCUS
Tomlinson and Larry Johnson are in the process of sinking fantasy teams from coast to coast, though hope abounds that both will break out soon. That emergence is likely more imminent for Tomlinson than for Johnson, who has a lesser supporting cast and has scored a touchdown in just two of his last eight appearances. For San Diego, Philip Rivers and Gates are certain to get you some points as well, and for this week especially, the defense is a good bet. Kansas City has few players to recommend apart from Johnson, though history suggests that Gonzalez will get moving soon.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
You have to believe it's been a difficult week for Norv Turner, who is once again hearing all the disparaging remarks about his head coaching ability that previously dogged him in Oakland and Washington. If the Chargers lose this week, Turner might want to hire someone else to start his car. San Diego is due for the type of dominant performance it posted on a regular basis last season, and luckily, seems to have an opponent that will be compliant. Kansas City comes off a win, but is still a team searching for its identity, and probably won't find it against a far superior opponent.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Chargers 24, Chiefs 3
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