Many questions can be answered on Thursday Night Football that opens Round 2: can the Chiefs offense continue to be as efficient as it looked? Has the Charger's defense improved?
On one side, the Kansas City Chiefs offense, which worked in week one even without Tyreek Hill, with Patrick Mahomes distributing the ball to 10 different targets against the Arizona Cardinals.
Conversely, the Los Angeles Chargers reinforced the defense and saw signs of improvement against the Las Vegas Raiders. There were six sacks, three interceptions, and considerably better performance against the running game [i] and third downs, their weaknesses in 2021.
It will put both sides to the test, in addition to having an impact on AFC West. Since Justin Herbert became a starter, the Chargers' record against the Chiefs is 50%: two wins and two losses.
At the same time, Mahomes' Chiefs are 3-1 against the Las Vegas Raiders and 4-0 against the Denver Broncos.
It is also worth mentioning that the Chargers' two losses were in overtime, with the team losing several chances to win. Are Brandon Staley and his minions ready to trouble the Chiefs again?
Staley needs to take out the primary target.
Adding up the two 2021 games between the teams, Travis Kelce had nearly 300 receiving yards. In 2022, he has already started sharp, with more than 120 against the Cardinals, showing that with the absence of Tyreek Hill, he will be the offense star, even with the more excellent distribution of targets already mentioned.
However, when I revisited the games between the Chiefs and Chargers, I came across an exciting conclusion the tight end produced well against zone and individual covers unless his marker was Derwin James.
Miyagi against Kobra Kai in Karate Kid. Just look at the rest of the Chiefs' names and notice that they can produce, but this is much more about Mahomes putting them in good situations than making big plays on their own.
It will be a Chargers coach's mistake if James doesn't follow Kelce around the field the entire game. And when you miss against a player of that level, it costs dearly, let's say, the almost 300 yards of 2021.
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