Chiefs-Chargers scouting report

When the Chiefs run

EDGE >> CHIEFS

The Chargers run a traditional 3-4 defense. Their best interior lineman is end Corey Liuget (6-2, 300), and while he did not play Nov. 9 against the Bears, he’s practiced in a limited fashion this week. Even with him, the Chargers need to do a better job against the run, though second-year nose tackle Ryan Carrethers (6-1, 333) possesses some quickness for his size and has shown flashes of being a good player. Inside linebacker Manti Te’o (6-1, 241) missed the Chargers’ last game but could play this week. If he does, he’ll give the unit a boost next to veteran Donald Butler (6-1, 242). So could 2015 second-round Denzel Perryman (5-11, 240), who is built like a fire hydrant and hits like a ton of bricks. Perryman, however, is still learning the defense, and he missed the Bears game with a biceps injury. Nevertheless, this area represents one of the Chiefs’ biggest advantages in this game. Charcandrick West has emerged as a solid back in this league, and the offensive line has gained confidence in recent weeks. As long as the Chiefs don’t get cute with their playcalling, they should be able to run the football fine.

When the Chiefs pass

EDGE >> CHIEFS

Safety Eric Weddle (5-11, 200) remains one of the league’s best. He is a smart, competitive playmaker who is good against the run and pass. However, he leads a secondary that has recorded only 12 interceptions the last two seasons combined and has surrendered eight passes over 40 yards or more, which is tied for the fifth-most in the league. Some of the latter has to do with a middling pass rush, which ranks 22nd in the league with 16 sacks. Outside of Liuget, the Chargers’ interior linemen have teamed up for only one sack, so the major threat comes on the outside, where edge rushers Melvin Ingram (6-2, 247) and Jeremiah Attaochu (6-3, 252) are tied for the team lead with four sacks apiece. Ingram, an athletic former first-round pick, has also forced two fumbles and must be accounted for. Attaochu, a second-round pick in 2014, is talented, as well. Chargers’ starting corners are small but instinctive. Former Chief Brandon Flowers (5-9, 187) mans one side while 2014 first-round pick Jason Verrett (5-10, 188) mans the other. Verrett is a competitive, ascending player with very good cover skills, but Flowers, 29, hasn’t been the same since his heyday with the Chiefs. Nevertheless, Flowers still shifts inside some to play the slot, which is a tougher position to play on passing downs. Regardless, the Chiefs should be able to scheme their big-name targets — hello, Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce — open this week, and the odds appear good quarterback Alex Smith can continue to protect the football against a secondary that struggles to take the ball away, anyway. The Chiefs might also be wise to see if the Chargers can handle the tunnel screen; Amari Cooper and the Raiders ripped them up with it a month ago.

When the Chargers run

EDGE >> CHIEFS

Rookie first-round pick Melvin Gordon (6-1, 215) has experienced some rookie stumbles. He’s been running behind a banged-up line that features only one player who has played in every game this season: right tackle Joe Barksdale (6-5, 326). The unit has not opened many holes, but Gordon is still adjusting to running out of the shotgun, as opposed to the I-formation he starred in at Wisconsin. He needs to improve his vision, but he possesses the burst to be a top NFL running back and has also emerged as a solid receiving option out of the backfield. King Dunlap (6-9, 330) and left guard Orlando Franklin (6-7, 320) have been banged up recently, but their potential return this week could give the Chargers a huge lift. Both are among the league’s better players at their positions. They will be needed against a Chiefs defensive front that has proven to be stout, particularly up the middle. The midweek concussion suffered by right guard D.J. Fluker (6-5, 339) could hurt the Chargers’ running game.

When the Chargers pass

EDGE >> CHARGERS

Veteran quarterback Philip Rivers (6-5, 228) guides the league’s top-ranked pass offense, so the 33-year-old can still sling it. He is on track to throw for a ludicrous 5,392 yards this year. The Chargers mix in a ton of no-huddle and run a ton of three-wide sets, but with star wideout Keenan Allen out for the season due to injury, Rivers’ primary target has still been running back Danny Woodhead (5-8, 200). Woodhead is Rivers’ security blanket. Malcom Floyd (6-5, 225) and Stevie Johnson (6-2, 207) are reliable, veteran targets as well, but Floyd’s status is up in the air following a labrum injury he suffered against the Bears. Antonio Gates (6-4, 255) and Ladarius Green (6-6, 240) form a very solid tight-end duo on paper, but Green’s status for the game is also up in the air due to an injury, and while Gates uses his craftiness, big body and hands to remain effective, he has been a little slowed by a MCL injury recently. The Chiefs will need to pressure Rivers, and they have the pass rushers inside and outside to do it. They proved this the last time they met, when they sacked Rivers seven times in the 2014 season finale. The Chiefs are currently tied for sixth in the league with 26 sacks, and while Rivers has been getting the ball out quickly, the Chargers have still surrendered 63 quarterback hits, the seventh-most in the league.

Special teams

EDGE >> CHIEFS

San Diego rookie kicker Josh Lambo has the edge on Cairo Santos in field goal percentage (90 to 81), but Lambo has had three of his extra points blocked, compared to zero for Santos. Santos also has the edge in touchback percentage. Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt has almost four times as many punts inside the 20-yard line than the Chargers’ Mike Scifres. The Chiefs also have superior kick- and punt-return averages, and their coverage units fare better statistically, too. The Chargers have accumulated 1 punt-return yard this season. One.

Coaching

EDGE >> CHIEFS

After posting consecutive 9-7 seasons, Chargers coach Mike McCoy has guided his team to a 2-7 record in his third year. Some of that has to do with injuries; the Chargers are one of the league’s most injury-ravaged teams. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich’s unit ranks fourth in the NFL after ranking 18th last season. Reich has done a nice job maintaining a productive offense in spite of all the injuries they’ve dealt with. Defensive coordinator John Pagano’s unit ranks 24th after ranking 24th last year, 23rd in 2013 and ninth in 2012. Given the way the season has gone for the Chargers, who are trying to rise from the dead, so to speak, after a 2-7 start, the edge still goes to the ascending Chiefs, who have already done so after a 1-5 start.

X-factor

EDGE >> CHARGERS

The Chargers are the healthiest they’ve been in a while, which will have an impact on the game. So will the fact they’re very rested after coming off a bye week and eager to end a five-game losing streak. While the Chargers are not going to make the playoffs, they are dangerous enough to win in this situation if the Chiefs get cocky. They’ve lost four games by five points or less.

Bottom line: Chiefs 24-20

The Chiefs are confident and upbeat after getting the Denver monkey off their backs last week. They are also riding a three-game winning streak, and with the chance to pull to .500 — after a miserable 1-5 start — hanging in the balance, they probably won’t underestimate the still-dangerous Rivers.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Chiefs-Chargers scouting report."