The Kansas City Chiefs enter their Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on a mini-bye after playing the Denver Broncos on Thursday, October 12.
The Chargers, on the other hand, had one less day than usual to prepare for this tilt after losing their last game to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, October 23.
To say that this is a must-win matchup for Los Angeles would be an understatement. After a 2-3 start, skipper Brandon Staley is coaching for his job and the Chargers’ front office will have a lot of questions to answer if the team falls two games below .500 to start their season.
For Kansas City, this should be yet another run-of-the-mill divisional game that the Chiefs are expected to win handily. Justin Herbert and the rest of Los Angeles’ offense will have a tough time moving the ball against Kansas City’s elite defense, and the Chiefs will just hope to get their passing attack back on track as they head into the meat of their 2023 schedule.
Here are Kansas City’s five keys to victory in its Week 7 matchup against the Chargers:
Protect Patrick Mahomes at all costs
Los Angeles’ pass rush has produced 21 sacks so far this season, and superstar Khalil Mack has tallied seven of them. Veteran Joey Bosa has underwhelmed with just three sacks to show for his efforts through six weeks, but there is no doubt that the Chargers’ front seven is consistently creating pressure.
The importance of keeping Patrick Mahomes upright is twofold. First, the health of the reigning MVP is of the utmost importance as Kansas City seeks its second straight Super Bowl title. Next, Los Angeles’ weakness is in its secondary, which has been gashed in recent weeks against opposing passing attacks.
If the Chiefs can stay in front of the sticks with manageable second and third-down situations, Mahomes and the offense should be able to get back on track in this game.
Chiefs must keep Austin Ekeler and the Chargers running game at bay
Austin Ekeler made his return from a high-ankle sprain on Monday against the Cowboys and was held to just 27 yards on 14 carries. His struggle to run the ball effectively created many issues for Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense.
Without a steady running game, Los Angeles was reliant on Herbert and Keenan Allen, which made the team’s attack one-dimensional and easy for Dallas’ defense to bottle up.
Containing the rushing attack will keep Los Angeles’ offense off rhythm, allowing Kansas City’s defense to sniff out the passing game and keep Herbert on his heels.
Win the time of possession battle
Although the Chargers offense has not been clicking lately, the Chiefs aren’t guaranteed to absolutely dominate this game on defense.
Herbert has shown the ability to keep tough games close, and without a solid strategy to keep him contained, Kansas City could have a hard time escaping this game with a win.
In the past, games between Herbert and Mahomes have been decided by one possession, so playing to prevent a worst-case scenario in the fourth quarter should be a viable strategy for Andy Reid and the Chiefs coaching staff.
Running the ball with Isiah Pacheco could help Kansas City keep the Chargers’ offense on the sideline and minimize any chance of this game becoming an outright shootout,
