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Week 10 Game Recap: Kansas City Chiefs 19, San Diego Chargers 20
What you need to know
| Kansas City Chiefs |
QB Tyler Thigpen has really come on strong recently, and is staking his claim as the long term answer in Kansas City. He put up big numbers in a tough road environment against a divisional opponent, and has now thrown over 100 consecutive passes without an interception.
TE Tony Gonzalez took the lead of many other tight ends who have put up huge stats against San Diego's defense. Gonzalez simply couldn't be covered all game long.
Starting RB Jamaal Charles aggravated an ankle injury on his first carry. He didn't return until after halftime, but by that point the Kansas City passing game was so effective that they never really tried to establish the run. Dantrell Savage filled in for Charles but was mostly unimpressive.
| San Diego Chargers |
QB Philip Rivers posted his fourth 300 yard passing game of the season (second in a row) while tossing touchdowns number 20 and 21. Despite a pair of costly interceptions, he was mostly effective.
RB LaDainian Tomlinson had perhaps his best matchup of the season on paper, but the results weren't entirely there. He did tally 117 total yards from scrimmage, but he failed to reach the end zone and he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry against what was one of the league's worst run defenses coming in.
The passing numbers were distributed fairly evenly amongst WRs Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd and TE Antonio Gates. Each player had at least four receptions and at least 66 yards receiving, with Gates and Floyd finding the end zone.
What you ought to know
| QB Tyler Thigpen, Pass: 27 - 41 - 266 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 26 - 0 |
Thigpen did just about all that was asked of him and more in this game, and very nearly pulled off a shocking upset on the road against the defending division champs. Trailing by seven, he led the Chiefs downfield on a sixty yard touchdown drive that would have tied the game if they had opted to kick the extra point. Instead, head coach Herm Edwards chose to borrow a page from the Denver Broncos playbook and go for the two point conversion and the win. Thigpen's pass, with LB Shaun Phillips in his face, was batted down in the end zone by S Clinton Hart and the Chargers escaped with the victory by the thinnest of margins. Thigpen's afternoon started off with a long touchdown pass to WR Mark Bradley, a play that was aided by CB Quentin Jammer stopping in his tracks while in coverage. When Jammer stopped, Bradley ran right by him and easily scored the 30 yarder. Thigpen's entire afternoon was aided by the fact that San Diego, despite changing defensive coordinators over the bye week, still is unable to apply pressure to the quarterback. That gave him more than enough time to repeatedly find TE Tony Gonzalez, WR Dwayne Bowe, and the aforementioned Bradley (those three accounted for 38 passing targets in the game). Thigpen's second touchdown pass was a short look to Gonzalez, who then got a great block from Bradley before turning upfield for the score. The third touchdown was likewise a great individual effort from Gonzalez, who had to fight for the ball in traffic. In addition to the passing numbers, Thigpen also had a long run to close out the first half that was the result of an aborted Hail Mary attempt. Thigpen dropped back to heave a long bomb towards the end zone, but thought better of it and pulled the ball down. He took off for a 22 yard scamper because the majority of the San Diego defense was fifty yards away guarding the end zone.
| RB Dantrell Savage, Rush: 12 - 44 - 0, Rec: 2 - 0 - 0 (2 targets) |
Savage took over for the injured Jamaal Charles, who was starting in place of the suspended Larry Johnson, early on. Savage didn't look great running the ball, but he didn't look completely lost, either. The line was opening holes for him when needed, but the Chiefs were having a lot of success through the air (as most teams do against San Diego) and opted to attack that way. One bright side for Savage was that he converted two third and short runs, the latter of which helped keep a drive alive late in the fourth quarter on third and one. Charles returned for the second half and saw limited work throughout the rest of the game. With Larry Johnson's status going forward still in question and the injury to Charles, it's unknown at this point how much value Savage will have the rest of the way.
| RB Jamaal Charles, Rush: 3 - 8 - 0 |
Charles injured an ankle on his very first carry of the game, and saw very limited work after that point. He returned to play in the second half, but by that time the Chiefs were already well into their passing game and enjoying a ton of success. Rather than mess with a good thing, they opted to keep Charles mostly on the bench.
| WR Mark Bradley, Rec: 9 - 81 - 1 (13 targets) |
Bradley was the beneficiary of a wide open 30 yard first quarter touchdown bomb from Thigpen, but was fairly quiet afterwards. He was the most heavily targeted wide receiver, but the majority of his action came on quick slants and curls. On the touchdown, CB Quentin Jammer was in coverage but simply cut off his coverage while looking into the backfield. By the time Jammer realized Bradley was still running, it was too late to recover and it resulted in one of the easiest touchdowns Bradley will ever score. His other critical reception came on the potential game-winning drive when he hauled in a low liner on fourth and eight. Late in the game, he nearly added a second touchdown when he beat Jammer in the end zone, but the ball was a bit overthrown.
While it won't affect his stat line any, it's still noteworthy that Bradley also threw a great block that helped spring TE Tony Gonzalez for his first touchdown of the afternoon in the second quarter. The more positive things he can do on the field, the more his playing time will remain high.
| WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 6 - 72 - 0 (9 targets) |
Bowe was heavily targeted early on for the Chiefs, but didn't make as big an impact as it seemed he would. After catching three passes on the opening drive, he caught just three the rest of the way. He made a nice grab in the fourth quarter and picked up a lot of yards after the catch when San Diego defenders didn't wrap him up. He appeared to add one last reception on the team's final touchdown drive, but was ruled to have stepped out of bounds. Replays suggested that he may have gotten his second foot down inbounds, but the play was never challenged by the officials (even though it happened inside of two minutes).
| TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 10 - 113 - 2 (16 targets) |
Gonzalez simply dominated the San Diego defense from start to finish. En route to passing Jimmy Smith for tenth place on the all-time NFL receptions list, he did damage in every way possible. He was so heady, finding all the soft spots in the defense. It was almost like he knew where the San Diego defenders would be before they even got there, which allowed him to go and get open somewhere else. On his first touchdown, he caught a short cross pass over the middle and immediately headed for the sideline. A great block by Mark Bradley sprung him down the sideline, which enabled him to get into the end zone. His second touchdown grab was a phenomenal catch in traffic with defenders hanging all over him. The ball was being dragged as he fell to the ground, but amazingly he managed to keep control of the ball while being pulled to the ground. He was targeted on the potential game-winning two point conversion, but S Clinton Hart made a nice play to tip the ball away and into the arms of CB Quentin Jammer at the last moment.
| PK Connor Barth 0 - 0 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points |
Through no fault of his own, Barth was involved in one of the more critical plays that cost his team the victory. On an extra point attempt, the snap was botched and came out low. Kansas City was unable to recover for the PAT, and ended up losing the game by a single point.
| KC Rush Defense |
Despite the game remaining close throughout and LaDainian Tomlinson apparently 100% healthy coming in, the Chargers were never able to establish a solid ground attack. Tomlinson's big gain went for 17 yards, but he had just 61 yards on his other 21 rushes. Most of the time, he tried to hit the hole but it closed up just in time. Or he would try and stretch a play to the outside but would find a waiting linebacker there. They did a very good job at pushing the San Diego offensive line back at the point of attack, and never allowed the Chargers to get into a good rhythm. In order to get the ball back, they contained Tomlinson on two late rushes with San Diego trying to run out the clock. The Chiefs stifled him and regained possession for their offense, which nearly pulled out the victory. LB Donnie Edwards briefly left the game after injuring his right knee, but he would later return.
| KC Pass Defense |
Kansas City had a tough time keeping up with the Chargers much bigger receivers. Philip Rivers was putting a number of passes high in the air where only his guys could get to it. The Chiefs got pressure on Rivers at times, sacking him twice and also managing two interceptions. Both interceptions were poor passes by Rivers, with one being a telegraphed look to WR Vincent Jackson in the end zone and the other a duck that came out awkwardly as Rivers was hit. That's not to say everything was good for Kansas City. Besides the turnovers, they also allowed Rivers to throw for over 300 yards, including two second half touchdowns to give San Diego the lead - a lead they would never relinquish.
| QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 27 - 36 - 316 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 |
In this game, when Rivers was good he was very good. And when he was bad he was VERY bad. His long completion to Malcolm Floyd for 31 yards was a very nice pass. As was his touchdown strike to TE Antonio Gates. The touchdown to Floyd was a nice team effort where the blitz was perfectly picked up; Rivers stepped forward in the pocket, and floated a pass that only Floyd could get to. But it was hardly all good for Rivers. He misfired a pass to a wide open LaDainian Tomlinson in the flat early in the second quarter, suggesting his timing or accuracy was a bit off. Later that same quarter, he zoned in on WR Vincent Jackson for so long that the safety easily read the play and jumped the route at the goal line for an interception. Rivers would add a second interception in the third quarter when he tried heaving a pass down the sideline to Gates despite intense pressure in his face. He stepped on a lineman's foot, regained his footing, and was hit as he threw. The end result was a duck that was easily intercepted by John McGraw. He also missed a wide open Vincent Jackson in the back corner of the end zone on a fourth quarter pass play, though they did go on to score later in the possession. In all, it was a very up and down performance for a guy who has been one of the top scorers at his position this season and going up against a very porous defense.
| RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 22 - 78 - 0, Rec: 4 - 39 - 0 (6 targets) |
Tomlinson looked very quick and showed a very nice ability to shake the defender loose with cut-backs and stops. Yet despite looking completely healthy for a second consecutive game, he failed to put up the big stats his owners were expecting against the porous Kansas City defense. On a day when he passed Corey Dillon and Eric Dickerson to move into 15th place on the all time rushing list, his offensive line failed to open enough holes for him to dominate the game against a far inferior opponent (statistically speaking). He had to fight for every last yard he got. He broke a 17 yard run midway through the third quarter and looked to be heading for a strong fourth quarter, but the Chiefs controlled the ball for much of the time and prevented him from doing much of anything. He had a chance to pad his stats a bit with some late carries, but he was unable to gain enough yardage to pick up any first downs on the drive to run out the clock. The key issue for Tomlinson owners heading into the season's second half was his health. That should no longer be an issue. But the offensive line issue still hasn't resolved itself, which could prevent him from enjoying the second half resurgence his owners might expect.
| RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 3 - 15 - 0, Rec: 3 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) |
Sproles wasn't heavily involved in the offensive game plan, but he got a bit more action than he's seen in recent weeks. He had a nice ten yard burst up the middle in the red zone where he showed great explosiveness in hitting the hole. His value lies mostly in his special teams work, but he was utilized as a receiver out of the backfield on several occasions.
| WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 5 - 83 - 0 (10 targets) |
If there's a way to quietly lead your team with 83 receiving yards, Jackson did it. He did drop a first half pass, but the two biggest potential plays to him went unfulfilled due to errors by Philip Rivers, not Jackson. First, Rivers saw Jackson streaking towards the end zone down the right sideline late in the second quarter. Unfortunately for both players, Rivers locked onto him for far too long and telegraphed the pass. S Bernard Pollard read the play and stepped in front of Jackson for the interception. Later, Jackson got wide open in the back corner of the end zone but Rivers never saw him.
| WR Malcom Floyd, Rec: 4 - 76 - 1 (4 targets) |
Floyd made the most of his limited opportunities, hauling in a 31 yard bomb on the first drive of the game. It was an amazing grab with the defender hanging all over him. Not only did Floyd maintain control, but he also managed to keep himself inbounds as he came down. Floyd added a touchdown reception off a floater later on to complete a fine fantasy performance.
| WR Chris Chambers (1 targets) |
Chambers was the intended target on a sideline fade pass in the second half that fell incomplete. He was well covered on the play and it fell incomplete out of bounds. Though he was on the field, he wasn't really involved very much in the game plan and didn't look to be recovered from his injury.
| TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 8 - 66 - 1 (10 targets) |
Much like fellow tight end Tony Gonzalez did in the first half, Gates used the second half as his own personal show. He consistently got open downfield, hauling in six second half passes (including a touchdown). By forcing the Chiefs to account for him, it took extra pressure off of QB Philip Rivers and opened up passing lanes to other receivers.
| TE Brandon Manumaleuna |
Manumaleuna wasn't targeted in the offense, but displayed good hands in coming up with the onside kick recovery to preserve the victory.
| PK Nate Kaeding 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points |
Kaeding connected on his only two field goal attempts, relative chips shots from 34 and 26 yards out.
| SD Rush Defense |
The Chiefs were unable to establish the running game they wanted when Jamaal Charles went out of the game early on. When replacement Dantrell Savage came in, Kansas City moved the ball at times but failed to really take advantage of San Diego in this facet of the game. The Chargers were exploited twice on third and short situations, one of which extended the potential game-tying touchdown drive. The only time they were able to hold the Chiefs was when they came up with a stop of the unfortunately-named Mike Cox on Kansas City's last drive. They held him on second down, though TE Tony Gonzalez eventually went on to score through the air several plays later. The 22 yard run allowed to QB Tyler Thigpen was not a case of poor defense; it was simply a case of the Chargers sitting back in prevent defense awaiting a Hail Mary pass that never came. Instead, Thigpen pulled the ball down and took off on a 22 yard scamper before running out of bounds to close out the half.
| SD Pass Defense |
Continuing a theme that has plagued the Chargers all season long, they were unable to muster much of a pass rush on Tyler Thigpen. They didn't create any turnovers, and their only sack came when Thigpen stepped out of bounds while on the run. CB Quentin Jammer was beaten twice in the end zone by WR Mark Bradley, though only one of them resulted in a score. And there was no one on the defensive side of the ball who could contain TE Tony Gonzalez. Opposing tight ends have put up great numbers all season long against San Diego, so it would stand to reason that an all time great would do so as well. San Diego displayed very shoddy tackling, both on the first Gonzalez touchdown and on a fourth quarter pass play to WR Dwayne Bowe. Yet despite all of the problems, it was the pass defense that went on to make the play that eventually won the game for the Chargers. Kansas City drove downfield on a sixty yard drive to cut San Diego's lead to 20-19. The drive was capped with a phenomenal touchdown grab by Gonzalez, and aided by a questionable pass interference penalty against S Clinton Hart three plays earlier. The Chiefs opted to go for the two point conversion, a decision that Denver used with success in Week 2 of this season against the Chargers. The result was different this time, as Hart went high in the air to knock the conversion attempt away from Gonzalez. Jammer, who was on the ground, cradled the ball in and the Chargers had held on for a one point victory. LB Shaun Phillips, who had earlier been shaken up, applied nice pressure on the play to force the pass out a bit earlier and more off target than Thigpen wanted it to be.
