In the preseason, this game looked to be an early indicator for the destination of the AFC West and a barometer of the San Diego Chargers’ early season form.
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The Chargers bounced back from their disappointing defeat in Foxborough last week to get the win and now sit atop the division, tied with Oakland. It wasn’t plain sailing but a win is a win and they move on. After a spate of torn ACLs, the Kansas City Chiefs are no longer a threat, but they did put up a solid fight in this game. They’ll look for more contributions from the likes of Dexter McCluster to fill the void left by their rash of injuries.
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Kansas City – Three Performances of Note
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1) Replacing Jamaal Charles
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You can’t ever replace one of the best backs in the NFL but the Chiefs did need to find a way to get some speed back in to their offensive backfield. Thomas Jones is fine for getting what his offensive line gives him and taking the game physically to the defense but he isn’t going to create something out of nothing nor scare the defense with his speed. Fortunately for the Chiefs, they drafted a similarly talented player to Jamaal Charles last season in the shape of Dexter McCluster (+2.1). McCluster has been used as all over the field since he came in to the league but with Charles’ injury, the Chiefs will surely deploy him more in the backfield. His abilities to make players miss (as he did to Takeo Spikes and Stephen Cooper) and turn on the jets to get around the edge will be key to replacing Charles’ speed in the running game as the season progresses.
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2. The continued pain of Eric Berry’s injury
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As if losing Eric Berry and his playmaking ability wasn’t enough, the performance of his replacements, Jon McGraw (-1.5) and Sabby Piscitelli (-3.7), only adds more pain to the situation. McGraw and Piscitelli both have a history of poor performances in the league and their display on Sunday did nothing to allay fears that they’ll be a weakness as the season progresses. The two safeties combined for three missed tackles and at times looked like they didn’t have a hope of staying with receivers in coverage. Kendrick Lewis (+0.8) looks solid enough on one side but the Chiefs desperately need better next to him at the back of their defense and McGraw and Piscitelli simply can’t offer that.
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3) Tigers on the defensive line
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After struggles early in their respective careers, the Chiefs’ defensive end pairing of Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey have, to differing levels, started to reproduce the form they showed in their college careers at LSU. They registered five stops between them in this game and caused troubles for the San Diego line when the Chargers tried to run between the tackles. These two may not be the great disruptive presences the Chiefs were hoping for, but, particularly after Jackson’s rookie season, what they have now is a welcome return on their investment.
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San Diego – Three Performances of Note
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1) Running with a purpose
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Ryan Mathews (+3.1) still isn’t getting a great deal of help from his offensive line (cumulative run block grade of -4.6 this week) but he is making things happen on the ground and, most importantly for the Chargers, he is doing it consistently. Often behind poor offensive lines you’ll get a lightning-in-a-bottle play as the back rips off one big gain. Great in the stat column, but not so helpful for building a consistent rushing attack. Mathews, by comparison, was graded positively for 11 of his 21 runs, more than 50% of his carries he added extra to the running game. Until the Chargers’ offensive line sorts itself out, this is the sort of performance they’ll need to see from Mathews, play-to-play and game-to-game.
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2) Quieting the doubters
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Prior to the season, questions were raised about whether the Chargers fully trusted Donald Butler (+3.1) and contingency was brought in for him should he not live up to their expectations. After a pair of average displays in Weeks 1 and 2, Butler emerged with a quality display against the run and the pass. Butler was not only able to make plays tracking backs in coverage, but also in defeating blockers and filling gaps to make tackles for minimal or no gain. Currently, this is a one-off but more performance like this and Butler will see his snap count grow and Stephen Cooper will be permanently on the sidelines in San Diego.
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3) Improvement from the front three
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The defensive line, aside from Antonio Garay, has been a sore spot for the Chargers for a number of seasons now but this week the defensive front showed signs of improvement against the Chiefs’ offensive line. For once, Garay was not his usual disruptive force but, in a change from the norm, others picked up the slack. Vaughn Martin (+1.3), Jacques Cesaire (+2.3), Cam Thomas (+2.5) and Ogmedi Nwagbuo (+1.4) all graded positively in this game, providing impact as pass rushers and run stuffers. The Chargers' defensive line combined to contribute 11 stops – a rare show of strength to make life a little easier for those behind them.
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Game Notes
● Stephen Cooper saw his first eight snaps of the season in this game, registering a missed tackle without making one.
● The Chargers’ struggles with the deep ball continue. After going 0-for-2 in this game, Philip Rivers is now 3-for-11 with an interception on such throws in 2011.
● Dexter McCluster’s five receptions all came against different San Diego defenders.
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PFF Game Ball
Donald Butler, ILB, San Diego Chargers
Butler put in the sort of performance that will rapidly win him friends in San Diego. He collected eight tackles – six of them defensive stops – as he put in his best performance of the season after solid displays in the first two weeks.
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