Everyone in San Diego knows the Chargers wait until the second half to turn it on and inevitably win the division. So when they reeled off four consecutive wins after a 2-5 start, the city collectively released a sigh of relief. Then the Raiders came to town as 13-point underdogs. The silver-and-black left town as winners after a rumbling 28-13 victory. Now it seems San Diego may pay dearly for waiting so long to wake up. The biggest reason this season could mark a new AFC West champ is the resurgent Kansas City Chiefs, which boast an 8-4 record. The Chargers enter their match up with the Chiefs at Qualcomm Stadium on Dec. 12, trailing the division leaders by two games. At 6-6 San Diego’s chances of making the playoffs as a Wild Card are slim. So what do we know? First of all, the Chargers must beat Kansas City to have any realistic chance of making the playoffs. If they accomplish that, San Diego will most likely need to win its final three games and hope the Chiefs lose at least one of their final three. After the crucial contest with Kansas City, the Chargers have a very promising schedule. First a quick home turnaround Thursday night, Dec. 16 against San Francisco (4-8), then the Bolts finish out the season on the road against Cincinnati (2-10) and Denver (3-9). Kansas City’s final three games are at St. Louis (6-6) Dec. 19, before closing out the year at Arrowhead Stadium against Tennessee (5-7) and Oakland (6-6). The Chargers are also two games behind Baltimore (8-4), which currently holds the final Wild Card spot. The Ravens go to Houston (5-7) Monday night Dec. 13, and are home against New Orleans (9-3) Dec. 19, before finishing up against Cleveland (5-7) and Cincinnati. CHARGERS NOTES • After shoring up the special teams play during their four-game win streak, disaster struck again versus Oakland. The normally sure-handed Darren Sproles muffed a punt in the first quarter to set up the Raiders first touchdown. Adding injury to insult, Sproles was forced to leave the game with a concussion after taking a big hit in the second quarter. • Philip Rivers looked out of sync for much of the game against Oakland. He short-armed a throw that caused the ball to sail into the arms of the defense and he missed badly on several other attempts. A lot of responsibility has been put on the quarterback’s shoulders. Could this be a sign of the mounting pressure? • Where’s the run game? San Diego must run the ball better. Against the Raiders it ran a grand total of eight times for a measly 21 yards. The Bolts did not have a single run for a first down. Rookie running back Ryan Mathews did not play. • Oakland rushed for 251 yards and three touchdowns. That’s a lot! The Chargers boasted a stout run defense all season long before this debacle. They will need to make a quick adjustment against a run-first Kansas City team. CHARGERS GAME PREVIEWS
Kansas City at Chargers Sunday, Dec. 12, 1:15 p.m. Qualcomm Stadium TV: CBS All-time series: Kansas City leads 51-49-1 Last meeting: Kansas City won 21-14 at Kansas City Sept. 13, 2010 Key matchup: Kansas City RBs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones against the Chargers’ defense – The Raiders gashed the Bolts for 251 yards on the ground last week and stopping the run will be key against Kansas City. Players to watch: Chargers RB Ryan Mathews – Will San Diego’s first round pick contribute this season? He hasn’t seen the field in each of the past three games. Fun Fact: In terms of yards, Kansas City has the first ranked rushing offense and the 25th ranked passing offense. Prediction: Chargers 24, Kansas City 21 San Francisco at Chargers Thursday, Dec. 16, 5:20 p.m. Qualcomm Stadium TV: NFL Network All-time series: San Francisco leads 7-5 Last meeting: Chargers won 48-19 at San Francisco Oct. 15, 2006 Prediction: Chargers 27, San Francisco 10 NFL GAMES OF THE WEEK Week 14 New England (10-2) at Chicago (9-3) Sunday, Dec. 12, 1:15 p.m. Soldier Field TV: CBS Coming off their most convincing win of the season, New England heads to Chicago playing their best football of the season. Critics have been discounting the Bears’ record but they simply keep winning, rolling off five straight. Is Chicago the best team in the NFC? A win against the Patriots would certainly suggest so. Prediction: New England 24, Chicago 21 Week 15 New York Jets at Pittsburgh Sunday, Dec. 19, 1:15 p.m. Heinz Field TV: CBS New York and Pittsburgh both like to set the tone with physical defenses and both find themselves in tight division races as the regular season comes to a close. Which defense will leave its mark on the opponent? Playoff positioning will be impacted by this showdown. Prediction: Pittsburgh 17, New York Jets 7