The Chargers limp into Arrowhead Stadium this weekend to take on an undefeated Chiefs team coming off a bye week as Los Angeles continues to search for their first win.
Here's what LA needs to do on defense to come away with the victory.
Bottle Kenneth Walker up
Walker is averaging an insane 6.2 yards per carry this season and has had more than 170 rushing yards in two of his first four games in a Chiefs uniform, but the Chargers are allowing only 3.8 yards per carry and are 6th in the league in EPA/rush allowed. The reigning Super Bowl MVP's presence on the offense has been credited as the main reason for Kansas City returning to form as a top-ten unit this year, so LA will need to place an added emphasis on shutting Walker down to try to force the Chiefs into less advantageous situations.
Keep the roof on the defense
Kansas City is fourth in the NFL in explosive play rate on offense, which might take a hit with wide receiver Tyquan Thornton on injured reserve and Rashee Rice out this week with knee and hamstring injuries, respectively. Even so, the Chargers have only been about league average at preventing explosives and have been 23rd in the NFL at preventing explosives in the pass game, so having discipline on the back end will be paramount on Sunday. Safety Genesis Smith played a sound game when the Chargers faced Josh Allen, so maybe he can rise to the occasion of playing Patrick Mahomes as well, but he's also been the culprit on a number of busted coverages this season.
Stay stable in sudden change situations
For as good as LA's defense has been, the Chargers have struggled when there's a sudden change that puts them on the field, whether that's a turnover or the offense turning the ball over on downs. Part of that is not purely a defensive problem: the Chargers are turning the ball over at an egregiously high rate and are dealing with long fields that turn into short fields for LA's defense because of a special teams unit that ranks 30th in the NFL in EPA/play. But it feels as though all of the Chargers' biggest busts have come on those drives, and the offense and special teams have shown no sign of letting up. The defense will need to shoulder the load, including holding the Chiefs to field goals if they get a short field, if LA is going to win.
Capitalize on lowered chemistry
With Thornton and Rice out, Kansas City will roll with Xavier Worthy, Jalen Royals, Cyrus Allen, and Nikko Remigio at wide receiver on Sunday, which gives LA some opportunity to be disruptive in the pass game as the Chiefs try to break new players into the offense. Worthy is a bona fide contributor who has been targeted at least 6 times in three of Kansas City's first four games, but Royals and Allen have combined for 70 total offensive snaps and 6 total targets this year (Remigio has not appeared on offense, either). If LA can cause some growing pains for those replacements, there's a good chance they can get off the field at a decent clip on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' defensive keys to victory vs. Chiefs in Week 6