Chiefs @ Chargers Game Preview

Good Morning Chiefs Kingdom,

Today we bring you a game preview, a press conference recap, the Week 4 schedule, and more.

Go Chiefs!

— Luke Gromer

Chiefs News

Week 4: Chiefs @ Chargers

• 🏈 Who: Chiefs (3-0) @ Chargers (2-1)

• 📆 When: Sunday, 3:25 pm CT

• 📍 Where: Inglewood, CA

• 📺 Watch: CBS

  • 🎙 On the Call: Jim Nantz & Tony Romo

• 🎧 Listen: 96.5 FM The Fan in the KC area

  • 🎙 On the Call: Mitch Holthus & Danan Hughes

• 📕 Line: KC -7.5

#1: Travis Kelce

Through three games, Travis Kelce has 8 catches for 69 yards.

Those aren’t the Travis Kelce numbers we’re accustomed to seeing.

He’s on pace for 391 yards this season, well below his 984 yards last season (which was his lowest total since 2015).

Mahomes and Reid have stated repeatedly that his lack of production is due to the attention defenses are putting on Kelce, which is allowing other players like Rashee Rice to have so much success.

However, Kelce may have caught a break this week. Chargers S Derwin James, who has been the primary defender to match up against Kelce in the past for the Chargers, was suspended by the NFL for this game.

No Derwin James and Mahomes’ desire to feed Kelce the ball could mean 87 is in line for a big game this week.

Can Travis Kelce get it going this week against the Chargers?

#2: The Offense in the Red Zone

The Chiefs had to settle for field goals in the red zone twice last week.

One of those was after driving the ball to the one-yard line.

They’ve done enough to win three close games, but if they can improve their performance in the red zone, they’ll likely start winning some games convincingly.

Can the Chiefs score TDs in the red zone this week?

#3: The Defensive Line

Both of the Chargers offensive tackles are injured and not expected to play. Additionally, Chargers QB Justin Herbert is questionable with an ankle injury

The Chiefs defensive line has an opportunity to feast on backup offensive linemen and put pressure on a backup QB or Herbert who will likely not be at 100% if he plays.

Chris Jones and company have a chance to blow this game wide open if they can stop the run on early downs and get pressure in passing situations.

Can the defensive line dominate the Chargers backup offensive linemen?

Dave Toub

• On NFL kicker’s improvement: “I think it’s the way the game has evolved. People are getting stronger across the board… I know Butker does a lot of power training.” Toub noted that Butker is really into the lifting program they use with their strength coach and can power clean over 300 lbs.

• On the new kickoff return rule: “If teams will kick to a team and they get it out past the thirty, guaranteed the next time it’ll be a touchback… If they catch the ball clean, it’s hard to keep them inside the 30.”

• On Matt Araiza catching the bad snap: “He saved our bacon on that one… I’ve never seen that from James… The protection held up and then he did a great job of speeding up… He was able to get it out and get a good punt on it… It was huge in that part of the game. That would have cost us the game if that would have gotten over him.

• On Mecole Hardman returning kicks: “He did a good job on the kick returns. He was an arm tackle away from really breaking one… One punt I thought he possibly could have got to, but he decided not to… We haven’t had too many opportunities, but we had a few last week.”

• On Butker missing a PAT: “I was shocked… [I] can’t explain it. He’s a human being. He missed one. It bothers him more than anything… He’s really good at forgetting that and moving on to the next kick. Mentally, he’s strong.”

Steve Spagnuolo

• On Nick Bolton: “It was great to see Nick make that [last play]…I think we all know this about Nick, he's got just got such great football instincts. He feels things and you know and he studies the game so he knows ahead of time sometimes when teams are going to do certain things, but I thought he played great.”

• On the Chargers: “I’ve got a lot of respect for Jim and Greg and I’ve known both of them for a long time… I know they’ve had a rash of injuries. We’re not going to overlook anything. Jim has a way of getting his team ready to play in any situation… They have a quarterback that I think is one of the best throwers in the league.”

• On keys to good red zone defense: “If you don’t focus first on stopping the run, why would anybody do anything different? So I think you’ve got to get them to throw the football… I think you have to keep people guessing down there from a coverage standpoint… The last thing you want to let happen down there is to let people run it in… Try to make them throw it and hopefully, we can be sticky enough in coverage.”

• On Nazeeh Johnson and Joshua Williams: “Nobody has really jumped out. So coaching-wise, we like to keep as many guys involved as possible.”

• On drafting Leo Chenal: “The one thing that was most impressive was the Zoom that we did. I just remember coming off that interview saying, ‘I would love to have that guy’… I wasn’t sure that he would be doing as many things as we have him doing now… I saw a passionate football player.”

• On Chamarri Conner: “The one thing he does all the time is he gets off of blocks… Not all DBs do that but he has a physical mindset… He’s stepped in there and done a really nice job for us.”

• On defending TEs: “They had the one big play… I probably should have had a better call. I made it tough on J-Reid… In these games, QBs are going to find their safety valve guys… What we’d like to eliminate is explosive plays to the TE.”

Matt Nagy

• On Rashee Rice: “It’s not surprising [how he’s performed]… The route running, understanding how to get open in zones… He’s violent. He likes to get hit. That’s rare sometimes at the WR position.” Nagy noted that Rice learned a ton from Travis Kelce last year.

• On Kareem Hunt: “Kareem has been great. He came in last week and is just kind of getting accustomed to how practice goes.”

• On the RBs this week: “Right now, to be determined… I think that Carson did a really good job last week… Now you just kind of get a feel for Kareem on how that’s going to go.”

• On the offense: “We want to continue to emphasize getting 6 points and 7 points, not 3 points.”

• On explosive plays: “We’re always looking for them and we’re going to take them when we can and then if they're not there we just want to be effective with dumping it down and run after the catch.”

• On winning close games: “We’re learning how to win and situational football, and I think that can benefit us down the road.”

• On scoring TDs in the red zone: “I think when you emphasize it in meetings when you emphasize it in practice, you try to make the looks that you think you're going to get as real as possible. And then when you get on game day, it's a mentality from us as coaches it's a mentality as players that you're not going to be stopped and then when you get those touchdowns, it just continues to build that energy, swag, and confidence.”

• On the LT job: “Ideally, you’d love for one of those guys to just take over and have it.”

Chris Jones

• On the Chargers: “They’re physical. Nice running game… We know [Herbert] has a big arm.”

• On the defensive stops last week: “We did it good enough to win… We still have a lot of ways to improve.”

• On Nick Bolton: “He’s a dog. We try not to bring him off the field. He’s our play caller. I think he’s the pillar of this defense.”

• On Charles Omenihu’s rehab: “He’s been all in on it. Staying late. Working out 3 or 4 hours a day.”

View all press conferences in their entirety here

The Chiefs signed former TE Jody Fortson to their practice squad.

TE Baylor Cupp was placed on the practice squad injured list to make room for Fortson.

RB Keaontay Ingram was also re-signed to the practice squad.

Source: Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com

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Result: DAL 20, NYG 15

• Cowboys QB Dak Prescott threw for 221 yards and 2 TDs

• Cowboys K Brandon Aubrey hit a 60-yard FG

• The Giants failed to find the end zone and converted five FGs

• Giants star rookie WR Malik Nabers had 12 catches for 115 yards but left the game late in the 4th quarter with a concussion

Source: ESPN

• Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel did not name his starting QB for their Monday night game against Tennessee. Tua Tagovailoa is on IR (concussion) and Skylar Thompson is questionable (chest/rib)

• Eagles WR Britain Covey suffered a broken scapula and will miss six weeks

• Lions C Frank Ragnow has been ruled out for the Monday night game against Seattle

• Lions LB Derrick Barnes was placed on IR with a knee injury

• The Lions signed WR Allen Robinson to their active roster

• Former Vikings QB Tommy Kramer announced that he has been diagnosed with dementia

• 49ers TE George Kittle is expected to play this week

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Worth the Click

• 🗻 Take a look at which QBs are moving up and down Nick Wright’s “Mahomes Mountain”

• 🦶 Matt Cassel didn’t like the smell of Bill Belichick’s feet, and Belichick’s response was about what you’d expect

• 🎄 The holidays are right around the corner, and you can get a free quote for custom Christmas lights from our friends at Bucket Brigade Lighting*

• 🏈 Grab some new Chiefs gear from Rally House*

• 📺 Bill Belichick took a deep dive into the background of the 49ers offense that connects back to the Elway Broncos

• 😂 Mama Kelce shared a list of things Travis can’t do very well

• 🎟 Grab your Chiefs tickets before prices go up*

• ⛳️ Scottie Scheffler got fired up and talked some trash on the golf course during the Presidents Cup

• 🎙 Trent McDuffie joined Richard Sherman’s podcast to talk Chiefs and football

• 😂 Patrick Mahomes is great at doing something nice for his teammates when they score their first TD

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