The first two weeks of the season could not have gone worse for the Kansas City Chiefs. After winning the AFC West last season, and adding a few key pieces to the puzzle in the offseason, many had the Chiefs pegged to win the division once again. Some even had them making a serious run in the AFC.
But we saw just how quickly all of that can change. Big time safety Eric Berry went down in Week 1 with a season ending injury, then Jamaal Charles tore his ACL in Week 2 and will also be gone for the year. It is amazing how quickly a season can fall apart.
Jonathan Baldwin was drafted in the first round this year, and he was supposed to come in and create a big time wideout tandem with Dwayne Bowe. But after a preseason fight with veteran running back Thomas Jones left Baldwin with a busted wrist and has left him on the sidelines.
So where do the Chiefs go now? They seem to be headed on a downward spiral towards a three, possibly four, win season. But there might be hope. They are travelling to San Diego this week and walk in as a 14.5 point underdog.
That is a huge amount of points, with the extra half point on the end being the most significant. While the Chargers are one of the better teams in the AFC, they are banged up and have not been running away with games early this season.
Wideouts Malcolm Floyd and Vincent Jackson are both banged up this week, as is the never-healing foot of Antonio Gates. So Phil Rivers will be hard pressed to run up the score with so many second stringers in the lineup.
For the Chiefs, it may be salvageable. Dexter McCluster is stepping into Charles’ shoes and hopes to make a similar impact. He has a small frame reminiscent to Charles, and while he lacks the girth of a typical back, he has the elusiveness and breakaway speed necessary to be a difference maker.
As far as the loss of Eric Berry is concerned, while he is a flashy player in the secondary, he is not always the most conservative player and often takes unnecessary risks. Maybe they will do better without him.
14.5 is a huge number for the banged up Chargers to cover, and the Chiefs will hopefully come out and play inspired ball in the afternoon tilt from Qualcomm.
