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The last time the Chiefs and Chargers played each other was Week 1 in Los Angeles — oh my, how things have changed. Now, the two meet again in a highly-anticipated Thursday Night Football matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.
A win for either team could mean big things for both as the regular-season starts winding down. For the 11-2 Chiefs, a win allows them to snatch the AFC West division title and a crucial first-round bye in the playoffs. For the 10-3 Chargers, a win in Kansas City Thursday secures them their first playoff berth since 2013.
With a lot on the line and not much time to prepare, here’s what head coach Anthony Lynn had to say:
On Joey Bosa’s impact since coming back:
“Joey’s getting better every single week,” Lynn said. “But, you don’t just miss 13, 14 weeks of football and come back and pick up where you left off. The first couple of weeks, we monitored his play count, then, last week, we just kind of turned him loose and now he’s back in his normal rotation. I just believe he’s getting better every game and I think that’s going to do nothing but help our defense and our football team.”
As for the rest of the team:
“The guys are definitely excited to get him back on the field, but this team had a lot of confidence before Joey came back,” Lynn said. “The defense knows they can go out and play at a high level and win football games, but having Joey back... that can only help.”
On the challenges that come with the short week:
“Our primary focus has been recovery and mental practice, you know, just mental concentration,” Lynn said of how he’s getting his team ready for the Chiefs. “We have to be mature enough to be a little more business-like this week because we don’t have as much time. The classroom is going to be important this week and the little bit we do on the field is going to be extremely important, but the main thing is just getting these guys’ bodies right and helping them recover from last Sunday night.”
On the Chiefs’ success:
“We’re 0-3 under my count and that’s three too many for me,” Lynn said matter-of-factly. “I’m just focusing on not being 0-4 right now.”
On preparing for Patrick Mahomes:
“Patrick’s one heck of a player,” Lynn complimented. “What he’s doing now doesn’t surprise me at all—he’s a heck of a football player and is just playing with a ton of confidence right now. It’s hard to [prepare for him] especially on a short week because he creates and he’s been doing that all his life and he has the skill set to find open receivers on the run and throw actively on the move and he’s just tough.”