Chiefs Lose To Chargers; AFC West Gets Very Interesting

The Kansas City Chiefs got whomped, beaten down and downright outplayed at every level of the game this afternoon against the San Diego Chargers. The 31-0 final score serves as a legitimate summary of this game. It was all San Diego.

In a game that could have essentially clinched the playoffs for the Chiefs, KC didn't show up. At all. If anything, this game proves just how valuable Matt Cassel is in terms of leadership and talent. 

Here are some quick notes on an absolutely crushing day for Chiefs fans:

The Shockingly Bad Stats

• 67 total yards. You can't really spin this one. 19 net passing yards. 48 rushing yards. I have stronger words I want to say but they're not appropriate front page material. 
• 8 punts. San Diego punted twice. Not the best combination KC. 
• 5 total first downs. San Diego had, uh, 25. 
• 0-11 on third down. Although the Chiefs did convert one fourth down, they did not convert a third down to a first down the entire game. Seriously. When your drives don't go beyond a few plays, it's pretty darn tough to score points. 

The Good Stats

• +2 in turnovers. Eric Berry picked off a pass in rather acrobatic fashion. Tamba Hali made one his now patented strips of the quarterback. 
• Chris Chambers made a catch! He came out of nowhere to make one catch for 10 yards. Chris Chambers is back!
• Palko to Pope chemistry. Tyler Palko made his first appearance of the season and targeted TE Leonard Pope twice. Pope dropped a Palko shovel pass but then Pope caught a Palko pass for a loss. Chemistry? I think so.....

Wow. This was just terrible. Joel's got more for you coming up but I can't take really any positives out of today. At least not right now. I imagine we'll be looking to next week against the St. Louis Rams very quickly here. The Chiefs are 8-5 and the Chargers are 7-6. With a Raider loss today, it's all KC and San Diego now in the AFC West. 

Three games to go. If the Chiefs win out, they win the AFC West.