The Week 6 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers looked a lot different on paper back in the summer. The Chargers were fresh off back-to-back playoff appearances and 11-6 seasons under Jim Harbaugh.
Their big offseason splash was bringing in Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator, a move that seemed like a natural fit with their rushing-attack philosophies. McDaniel built elite offenses out of ones led by Tua Tagovailoa, and now he had Justin Herbert coming off a fourth-place MVP finish at his disposal. They were supposed to be one of Kansas City’s primary obstacles in the AFC West race.
Instead, Los Angeles enters Sunday at 0-5, with an injury report 20 players deep that includes five players already ruled out, one doubtful, and six questionable, on top of eight already on injured reserve. Gone for Sunday are tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, and safety Derwin James, three of their most important players.
The division race has effectively become a two-team conversation between the Chiefs and the Broncos, with even the Raiders surpassing the Chargers' relevance, and Sunday is Kansas City’s chance to put a firm stamp on that.
Here are the three matchups the Chiefs can exploit most directly.
The Chiefs’ defensive line vs. the Chargers’ offensive line
The sack drought has been well documented. Kansas City has not brought down an opposing quarterback since its four-sack performance against the Broncos in Week 1, and the frustration has been real despite the Chiefs ranking sixth in pressure rate and eighth in quick-pressure rate, according to Sumer Sports.
The pressure is there, but they do need to get home at some point, after ranking dead last in pressure-to-sack rate and total sacks through the first five weeks. There will never be a better opportunity to end that streak than Sunday afternoon.
The Chargers will line up four rookie offensive linemen to protect Herbert, who is a quarterback who tends to hold the ball a little longer than most. In 11 career games against the Chiefs, he has been sacked 30 times with much better offensive lines than this one.
It would be genuinely disappointing if Kansas City does not record multiple sacks on Sunday. Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, R Mason Thomas, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah have been generating pressure all season without payoff, but that should change this weekend.
Travis Kelce vs. the Chargers’ defensive backs
As fun as it would be to envision breakout performances from Xavier Worthy, Jalen Royals, and Cyrus Allen in the absence of Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton, all three are still largely unproven at the professional level. They will see the field, and they could make plays Sunday, but Travis Kelce should remain the most trusted target by a considerable margin.
The 37-year-old has made a career of carving up the Chargers, with 121 catches, 1,474 yards, and nine touchdowns against them. The one safety who has given him legitimate trouble over the years, Derwin James, will not play Sunday due to a hamstring injury.
Without James patrolling the middle of the field, the Chargers have limited answers for what Kelce can do in the intermediate areas. He is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season since 2022, and this matchup should help him stay on pace. Look for Mahomes to target him early and often as he builds trust in his new wide receiver unit.
Kenneth Walker vs. the Chargers’ rush defense
At this point in the season, any matchup involving Kenneth Walker deserves attention. He led the NFL in rushing with 537 yards through four games, averaging 6.2 yards per carry, while seemingly forcing double-digit missed tackles every week.
Los Angeles is allowing 4.36 yards per carry to opposing rushers this season, ranking 19th in the league. Walker has rushed for over 170 yards in two of his four outings this season, including 177 against the Raiders just two weeks ago, giving the Chiefs a major edge on Sunday.
He took 87 carries through four games, the eighth-most among backs, despite playing one less game than the leaders, but don't expect him to slow down in this matchup. Coming off a bye week with fresh legs, Reid should continue feeding him 20-plus carries.
Emmett Johnson may get more touches as the season progresses, especially now that the bye has passed, but it is hard to take the ball away from the NFL’s current best rusher in this matchup. When you want to win comfortably and keep your offense vanilla against a divisional opponent, you can always hand it to your workhorse.
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