Thanks to John Gennaro over at SB Nation's Chargers blog, Bolts From The Blue, for answering my Chargers-Chiefs questions. You can read my answers to his questions here.
1. So, what's changed for you in the past few weeks since the Chiefs and Chargers last met?
BFTB: The Chargers won a game! It was their first win in a long time and it was totally unimpressive, and all it did was prove just how terrible the Jacksonville Jaguars are, but it was a win!
Oh, also, the defense has been pretty good! Donald Butler, who will make $9M next season, was benched due to being terrible for three consecutive seasons. His replacement, rookie Denzel Perryman, has been pretty good! That has made all, or at least most, of the difference in the defense. Both the Jaguars and the Broncos have struggled to score points against this new front.
2. In the past three weeks, the Chargers have scored three points twice and 31 points once. Which offense are they?
BFTB: They're the one that score three points. The 31 point outburst was the result of the Jaguars defense, which is giving up 28.4 points per game this season and gave up 42 points to the TENNESSEE FREAKING TITANS last week. The Chiefs would flirt with triple-digits against that Jags defense.
After Keenan Allen went down with a lacerated kidney, the Chargers offense has had nothing left to give. Stevie Johnson isn't good enough to be an effective No. 1 or No. 2 option. Antonio Gates is good when he's feeling young and healthy, which is semi-rare. Malcom Floyd can't do it on his own, and the running game isn't even worth mentioning (please don't mention their running game).
It's basically Philip Rivers and that's basically it. Just eight of his 33 passes against Denver were aimed at WRs. He was mostly checking down to RBs and TEs, because nobody actually has the ability to get open without mistakenly being forgotten by the defense.
3. How are the Chargers sixth in offensive yards, yet 25th in points scored?
BFTB: MAGIC!
No, actually, it's because the team falls so far behind in every game that opposing teams start playing soft defense early on, letting Philip Rivers rack up tons of yards (he's second in passing yards behind only Tom Brady) but keeping the team out of the end zone and away from big plays. Those offensive yards have mostly been meaningless for the Chargers.
Offensively, this team is impotent.
4. With the first pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Chargers select...
BFTB: Gosh, that's such a difficult question. That's going to depend on who the head coach is, who the assistant coaches are, and who the team signs in free agency. That being said, probably Robert Nkemdiche.
5. What's your prediction for the game?
BFTB: Chiefs win 33-3, and everyone runs to see if a team has every beaten another NFL team twice in the same season by the exact same score.