Chargers look to end two game Skid

Coming into the 2009 season one of the things the Chargers wanted to avoid was another slow start. San Diego had begun each of the previous two seasons poorly but was able to recover and ultimately make the playoffs. This year they hoped to do better, however, after five games their record is the same as it was at this point in 2008, two wins and three losses. A two game losing streak has dropped them below the 500 mark for the first time this year and the defeats were painful, falling to the Steelers at Heinz Field and division rival Denver at home. The Chargers are now three and a half games back of the Broncos for first place and will probably be playing for a wild card spot from here on out. But even to qualify as a wild card team they’re going to have to start winning again.

The opportunity for the Chargers to get back on the winning track couldn’t be any better as they will travel to Kansas City to take on the lowly Chiefs. Looking at the records of both teams you have to wonder how much more “lowly” the Chiefs are considering they have only one less victory (1-5) than San Diego (2-3). But the Chargers are, or at least, should be, a superior team, one that very realistically could make the playoffs whereas the Chiefs don’t have a prayer. This is the kind of game the Chargers should win and use to right the ship for the course of the rest of the season.

Although the Chiefs are a struggling unit they still have some weapons the Chargers have to be prepared for. Veteran running back Larry Johnson is coming off one of his better games of the season last week against Washington, and Quarterback Matt Cassel has been heating up lately. The Chargers ineptitude on defense has been well noted and clearly is their greatest challenge as a team. Their lack of a pass rush and poor play in the secondary has been a problem since opening day and didn’t seem to improve after a bye week in their contest against Denver.

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Next to the defensive issues facing the Chargers, their running game has also not performed well on the field. Missing LaDainian Tomlinson for a couple games hurt the rushing offense early in the season, but his return over the last two games has not had the impact San Diego was hoping for. Against the Broncos the team rushed for a total of 73 yards, a mediocre showing. And now after six weeks of the NFL season the Chargers are ranked dead last in the league in rushing with just over 57 yards per game. The Chiefs do not pose the kinds of problems that the Broncos and Steelers did on defense so the Chargers should be able to have success with Tomlinson and the other running back.

The one constant that the Chargers have had this year has been their passing game, specifically Phillip Rivers. Week after week Rivers continues to put up the numbers and give his team a chance to win the game. He was beat up a bit last week by the Broncos, however, getting sacked five times and committing three fumbles. On the year he already has over 1500 yards passing with seven touchdowns and only three interceptions. Look for Rivers to have a big game against the Chiefs for the Chargers to score early and often.

On paper the Chargers should dominate this game, but this is still a division rivalry, and these types of games have a way of ending up much closer than the stats dictate. Last year the Chargers narrowly escaped their two games against the Chiefs, winning each by a single point. San Diego has won three straight versus Kansas City, dating back to 2007. They hope and need to make it four in a row with a win on Sunday.

By Steven Mondelli
ProFootball-fans.com San Diego Chargers Correspondent