The San Diego Chargers are one of the best teams in the AFC and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley knows that. "This is a very good team and the Kansas City Chiefs will have their work cut out for them this week on Monday night," Haley said.
The Chiefs definitely have their work cut out for them but if history is any indication, it's better to play the Chargers in the beginning of the season. Here's how the Chargers have started over the last six years:
2009 (2-3), 2008 (0-2), 2007 (1-3), 2006 (2-1), 2005 (0-2) and 2004 (1-2).
Clearly they don't start very well. Monday's matchup with the Chiefs may be a little tougher considering the environment at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday Night Football is expected to be intense.
"That's the great thing about this league," Chargers coach Norv Turner said on Wednesday, "there are so many greats places to play, and Kansas City is one of them. It's one of the loudest places we play, it's Monday Night, the addition to the stadium and the new players. That's a challenge. That's where you hope having veteran leadership and guys having been in that situation, you can handle it."
I imagine the Chiefs won't be paying much attention to the Chargers history of starting slow. Every year is a new year and the Chiefs have to treat this like the big game it is.
(H/T Shan Shariff of 610 Sports for the Norv Turner audio)