No Playoffs For Chargers In Loss To Chiefs

The San Diego Chargers only had to win at Kansas City. One win and the nightmare season could be behind them because of the playoffs. Now the nightmare season is over and it ends as a failure.

The Chiefs defense was forcing the Chargers off the field early. The only scoring play in the 1st quarter was a field goal by the Chiefs off of a 6 minute drive. The 2nd quarter started with a Chiefs touchdown for Travis Kelce off a fumble by Dwayne Bowe. 2 quarters in and the Chiefs are in control 10-0.

The Chargers replied quick with a 2 minute drive that ended in a Branden Oliver touchdown. The Chargers cannot get it going on offense and the Chiefs continue to push their lead with field goals. Philip Rivers tried to get a deep pass to Eddie Royal at the end of the 2nd quarter but it gets intercepted. At halftime the score is 16-7.

The Chiefs go 3 and out in their first drive so the Chargers have an instant opportunity. Phillip Rivers gets hit by Justin Houston and fumbles which shifts all momentum to the Chiefs. The Chiefs turn that into a field goal which pushes their lead to 19-7.

The Chargers then missed a field goal in the middle of the 3rd quarter. They nearly had a touchdown to Eddie Royal but it was called back then they could not score from the 3 yard line. The Chargers offense could not get going and the defense could not stop the Chiefs. Chiefs get the victory 19-7 which sent Baltimore to the playoffs.

The Chargers missed every opportunity to score in this game. They were never out of the game but poor play made this game worthless. The key was to control time of possession and they had 31:21 to the Chiefs 28:39.

The offensive line could not stop the Chiefs rush. Rivers was sacked 7 times in this game and 4 times were by Justin Houston, who also forced a fumble. That is D.J. Fluker’s side and he will need to improve because his pass blocking was poor all season.

The defense was horrible in the secondary. The pass rush got to Chase Daniels but he had receivers open at all times. The Chargers have to bring back Branden Flowers but they will need Verrett back healthy then hopefully sign or draft another corner and safety. That secondary still has some severe holes that need to be addressed. It’s sad too because the front 7 looks great except maybe some improvement at defensive tackle.

The Chargers have issues to address in the offseason but if they can, they will be 1 step away from a Super Bowl contender. It is all up to Tom Telesco and management to evaluate the team and be smart about how they fill the holes. It’s going to be a long offseason especially after such a disappointing regular season.