RBs - Chargers haven't had +1000 yd rusher since 2017

[jubei]

Yeah but we implode ourselves. Im sure they aren't too worried about us until we start beating them more often.

yeah why would they need to worry? We havent routinely beat them or anything like that. It's like saying the bolts worried about the raiders when Rivers won something like 16 straight games against them.

[jamrock]

Any Chiefs fan who is honest will tell you the team that worries them the most is the Chargers. The Chargers have the best QB in the division outside of PH and they know how to play the Chiefs well. The Chiefs have gotten the lucky bounces the past two seasons, but that can't last. The Chargers are improving and the Chiefs and their fans know they can't keep depending on luck to win those close games against the Chargers.

Doubt they’re worried. We’ve won 1 playoff game in the past 5 years while they’ve been to 5 straight AFCCG and won 2 super bowls over that period.

lucky bounces? There were some bad calls in the first game at KC last season but when they came to LA later they simply marched down the field with little resistance in the last 1:20 or so to win. I believe you have written extensively about that game and specifically the play they scored the game winning td with

[powderblueboy]

Doubt they’re worried. We’ve won 1 playoff game in the past 5 years while they’ve been to 5 straight AFCCG and won 2 super bowls over that period.
lucky bounces? There were some bad calls in the first game at KC last season but when they came to LA later they simply marched down the field with little resistance in the last 1:20 or so to win. I believe you have written extensively about that game and specifically the play they scored the game winning td with

Bolts looked like the better team that 1rst game when both teams were healthy.
A fluke pick 6 being the difference.

Having said that, the Chiefs improved over the course of the season in a manner that Staley teams have not.

[Caslon]

Doesn’t matter these days. Still, RM was our last entertaining RB. He often launched himself suicide like…against opposing D-lines. A human cannonball on a regular basis. Kudos to him for such dedicated abandonment of life or limb. Hope his brain is normal these days. “We who are about to die, salute you.” Gotta love it. RM was okay, heh.

[dmac_bolt]

I agree i doubt the Chiefs worry about the Chargers - yet. I think they respect them more than Chief fans do though . Chief fans can’t even imagine losing to the Bolts.

they won’t have to try to imagine for much longer.

[Boltnut]

Bolts looked like the better team that 1rst game when both teams were healthy.
A fluke pick 6 being the difference.

Having said that, the Chiefs improved over the course of the season in a manner that Staley teams have not.

Let's not forget that Keenan didn't play in that Week 2 game. I think Linsley missed the 2nd half...? Also, Herbie's rib-fracture game...

And if I recall correctly, Mike Williams played only that first possession before re-injuring himself in the Week 10 game. Pretty sure Bosa and Slater missed Week 10, too. Along with Austin Johnson and Tito...

I get what you're saying... but by Week 10 (with hte injury bug in full-bloom) hard to expect improvement.

The Chiefs should fear the Chargers.

[sonorajim]

Bolts looked like the better team that 1rst game when both teams were healthy.
A fluke pick 6 being the difference.

Having said that, the Chiefs improved over the course of the season in a manner that Staley teams have not.

KC and LAC were both 1 W better in the final 8 games than the 1st nine.

[Velo]

Let's not forget that Keenan didn't play in that Week 2 game. I think Linsley missed the 2nd half...? Also, Herbie's rib-fracture game...

And if I recall correctly, Mike Williams played only that first possession before re-injuring himself in the Week 10 game. Pretty sure Bosa and Slater missed Week 10, too. Along with Austin Johnson and Tito...

I get what you're saying... but by Week 10 (with hte injury bug in full-bloom) hard to expect improvement.

The Chiefs should fear the Chargers.

This is where I am too. The 2022 Chargers decimated by injuries and held back by a poor OC could've won either game against the Chiefs. The 2023 Chargers, if they are not decimated by injury and with an aggressive OC, should be able to get over that hump this season. Nick Wright of Fox Sports who is an unapologetic Chiefs fan said on numerous occasions that he he fears Justin Herbert and that a healthy Chargers crew is the last team he wants the Chiefs to play.

[Boltnut]

This is where I am too. The 2022 Chargers decimated by injuries and held back by a poor OC could've won either game against the Chiefs. The 2023 Chargers, if they are not decimated by injury and with an aggressive OC, should be able to get over that hump this season. Nick Wright of Fox Sports who is an unapologetic Chiefs fan said on numerous occasions that he he fears Justin Herbert and that a healthy Chargers crew is the last team he wants the Chiefs to play.

100%. The only team to outproduce the Chiefs in the redzone last year... Kellen Moore's Cowboys.
Often, we get a lead on the Chiefs... then go into self-destruction mode in the 2nd half.
I predict those days are over now with Moore steering the offense. It's time to step on throats in the 4th quarter.

[ChargersPowderBlue]

yeah why would they need to worry? We havent routinely beat them or anything like that. It's like saying the bolts worried about the raiders when Rivers won something like 16 straight games against them.

Except this Chargers roster is way better than those Raider teams that were being a pest to the early Rivers lead Chargers.

Doubt they’re worried. We’ve won 1 playoff game in the past 5 years while they’ve been to 5 straight AFCCG and won 2 super bowls over that period.

lucky bounces? There were some bad calls in the first game at KC last season but when they came to LA later they simply marched down the field with little resistance in the last 1:20 or so to win. I believe you have written extensively about that game and specifically the play they scored the game winning td with

Doubt that. And wanting be like the Patriots is going to puff them up. Chargers do cause the Chiefs worry whether people believe that or not.

The second game also had bad calls. When DJ got called for a penalty on the last drive of the game, it discouraged James and kept him from defending Kelce the way he usually would.

This is where I am too. The 2022 Chargers decimated by injuries and held back by a poor OC could've won either game against the Chiefs. The 2023 Chargers, if they are not decimated by injury and with an aggressive OC, should be able to get over that hump this season. Nick Wright of Fox Sports who is an unapologetic Chiefs fan said on numerous occasions that he he fears Justin Herbert and that a healthy Chargers crew is the last team he wants the Chiefs to play.

The games have always been close and came down to the end since Herbert got the start over Tyrod Taylor. The week 17 game in 2020 when KC rested their starters notwithstanding.

The team who wins capitalized on the other's turnovers. When we beat them, the week 3 game in 2021, the Chiefs turned the ball over about 4 times. That game might have had a different outcome if it were not for the turnovers. The same likewise for when we lost the 3 games to KC. It seems like the team who takes care of the ball better and score when they need to has been the one to prevail.

Thankfully we don't have Lombardi anymore. Moore is someone we needed to beat Spagnuolo's defense.

[floydefisher]

For comparison, the Chiefs also haven't had a 1000+ yard rusher since 2017 (Hunt).

You don't need a 1,000 yard rusher. What you need is a credible enough running game to keep defenses honest.

KC doesn't have a 1,000 yard rusher. What they do have is a guy who will run straight through you if you ignore him. On most teams he could gain 1,000 yards. With the Chiefs, he doesn't need to, and they don't use him that way (yet).

This is the guy I'm talking about.

[DerwinBosa]

I will be focusing on running backs when I watch college football this season. I like the two from Michigan (Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards), but this guy is the one I'm most intrigued with:

5. *TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State (5-10, 215, 4.50)

What he does best: Runs low, fast and physical


Built low to the ground, Henderson runs like a bowling ball, but he has the feet and acceleration of a scatback. He can be inconsistent finding the cutback lane at times, but when he stays on schedule, the rising junior has the explosiveness to clear holes and make second-level defenders look silly. With his toughness to grind out yards or speed to be a big-play threat, Henderson can win in different ways as a ball carrier.

In the fourth quarter against Notre Dame, Henderson reminded everyone that the “low man wins” in football. The Irish safety underestimates Henderson’s quickness through the hole and is late to set up his tackling form, which allows the runner to drop his pads and run right over him. As the safety goes flying, Henderson picks up another 10 yards to move the sticks.
Must improve: Return to 2021 form


You could make the argument that the top two running back prospects in college football during the 2021 season were Robinson and Henderson, but neither was eligible to go pro at that time. Robinson lived up to that hype and was a top-10 pick this past April; Henderson suffered a broken bone in his foot, and his tempo and footwork didn’t look nearly the same. Deemed fully healthy during the spring, time will tell if Henderson can return to form and stay on the field in 2023.

2023 season/2024 NFL Draft outlook


Considered the top running back out of high school in the 2021 class, Henderson was an immediate star for the Buckeyes as a true freshman with 1,248 rushing yards, 312 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns. The Virginia native looked like a future first-rounder on the 2021 tape, but he struggled through injuries last season — mainly, a broken bone in his foot — and was a shell of himself when he tried to play.

Despite breaking in a new quarterback, Ryan Day’s offense will put the ball in the air quite a bit this season, especially with Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and others at receiver. But for the Buckeyes to make another national title run, Henderson’s health and ground success are imperative. Aside from everything he can do as a ball carrier, Henderson’s do-everything versatility is among the best in college football because of his above-average blocking and receiving skills. While I have him as RB5 to start the 2024 NFL Draft cycle, Henderson is built for the NFL and has the talent to finish as RB1.