Players to watch in Chiefs vs. Chargers Thursday: KC’s Eric Berry, L.A.’s Joey Bosa
It looks like it’s really, truly happening. Though Eric Berry is listed as questionable on the Chiefs’ final pregame injury report ahead of Thursday night’s showdown with the Chargers, all signs point to him playing for the first time since Week 1 of 2017. With that in mind, here are some players you should be watching Thursday night.
No. 29 Eric Berry, S
29 years old, 6-0, 212 pounds, 9th season
Let’s try this again. This might really, possibly, probably be the night Chiefs safety Eric Berry makes his season debut. He has been inactive for every game this season, but coach Andy Reid said Berry’s been making gradual improvement in the last two weeks of practice. There’s no question that Berry’s a difference-maker in the defense with his speed and physicality, but it’ll be interesting to see how much the Chiefs allow him to play and how effective he’ll be after missing a season and a half of playing time. Berry last took the field on Sept. 7, 2017 against New England.
No. 26 Damien Williams, RB
26 years old, 5-11, 224 pounds, 5th season
With KC’s Spencer Ware banged up after Sunday’s overtime win against the Ravens, the spotlight could shift to Williams. With Ware’s injury, Williams ended up playing 50 percent of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps, while Ware only played 48 percent. The Oklahoma product scored two touchdowns in Sunday’s win and showed himself to be a dynamic back. While Ware is a downhill runner, Williams showed an ability to move well laterally. He’s had a limited role in the offense so far, but Thursday night will likely be his first NFL start since Week 12 of the 2017 season, when he was with Miami.
No. 17, Philip Rivers, QB
36 years old, 6-5, 228 pounds, 15th season
Rivers hasn’t had much success against the Chiefs recently. In fact, Rivers hasn’t beaten the Chiefs in his last nine attempts. He’s thrown 14 interceptions to nine touchdown passes against the Chiefs and is 13-13 overall against KC. But the Chiefs are getting the best version of Rivers this week, even if he ends up being without running backs Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. He has 29 touchdown passes, just five away from tying his career high of 34. Earlier this season, Rivers torched the Chiefs for 424 yards in the season opener.
No. 99 Joey Bosa, DE
23 years old, 6-5, 280 pounds, 3rd season
The first time these two teams met, No. 99 wasn’t on the field for the Chargers. After working through a bone bruise in his left foot that kept him out until Nov. 18 against the Broncos, Bosa is back to being a nightmare for the opposing offensive line. Since returning from his injury, the Pro Bowler has four sacks. He had six tackles and a sack in L.A.’s five-point win against the Bengals on Sunday, but he said afterward that he dislocated his left pinky diving for Bengals quarterback Jeff Driskel. Bosa hasn’t been on the Chargers’ injury report, though, so it’s unlikely to affect him Thursday.