Philip Rivers is in the final years of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers. The team seems to be trying to do their best to not waste those final years, and they’ve assembled a team that is quite playoff capable. In the opening game against the Kansas City Chiefs, however, it’s not just about those extra pieces showing up to play. It’s Rivers himself who needs to show up to allow his team to win.
Philip Rivers is Crucial to a Win in Week One
Now, saying that Rivers is key to any Chargers victory may seem like an obvious statement. He’s been the soul of his team for about a decade. And besides, the Chiefs defense does not really even pose a threat to Rivers with all those holes in the secondary, right? Think again. The same thing could be said about last year… and yet the Chiefs swept the Chargers in 2017.
This is where things get bizarre. For Rivers’ part, he only had 10 interceptions in 2017. Six of those came in his two games against the Chiefs. And the Chiefs had the fourth-worst pass defense in the league. Despite this, they managed to confound Rivers in both games. And even better, the Chargers haven’t beaten the Chiefs at all since 2013 – their last playoff season.
This is why Rivers is going to be pivotal in this matchup. For some reason, he’s struggled against the Chiefs lately; particularly last year, even when he should have torn them to pieces given their league pass defense ranking. It will be difficult for other players on offense like Melvin Gordon or Keenan Allen to accomplish much if Rivers is throwing picks.
Rivers vs the Chiefs Secondary
One positive for Rivers and the rest of the offense is that cornerback Marcus Peters is no longer on the Chiefs. He had three of the six Chiefs interceptions against Rivers in the two matchups. He now resides with the Los Angeles Rams, where he might give Rivers trouble in Week Three; but we are getting ahead of ourselves. The point is, one particular defensive player that seemed to have Rivers’ number in 2017 is no longer on the Chiefs.
That leaves Eric Berry as perhaps the biggest secondary player to worry about; however, it’s uncertain right now if he will even play on Sunday. That leaves new Chiefs acquisition Kendall Fuller as the other only real threat to consider. With all that in mind, one would think Rivers would not have too much trouble. But then again, we would probably have thought the same last year.
Weapons Galore for Rivers
Rivers will obviously have to put the ball in hands of his playmakers instead of in the hands of the defensive backs. One thing he could do is utilize his running back Gordon as a receiver; that was actually fairly effective in the second game against the Chiefs in 2017. He had six receptions for 91 yards then. But then there’s also Allen to consider, as well as potential breakout receiver Mike Williams.
Also, something to watch out for is how the Chiefs choose to guard Antonio Gates, who signed back with the Chargers earlier this week. The only touchdown pass Rivers threw against the Chiefs in 2017 was one where Gates was covered by a linebacker. This is proof that even at his age, it is still difficult to cover him with a linebacker. Rivers needs to utilize any such matchup that occurs there.
Rivers is very capable of leading a victory over the Chiefs. And by all rights, he should. His offense is loaded, and the Chiefs secondary is not. And it may also help that they won’t be playing in Arrowhead Stadium this time. The question is if he can avoid the turnovers this time. If he can, the Chargers will emerge victoriously and snap their eight-game skid against the Chiefs.
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