{"id":48725,"date":"2018-09-05T23:08:15","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T03:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=48725"},"modified":"2018-09-05T23:08:15","modified_gmt":"2018-09-06T03:08:15","slug":"philip-rivers-key-victory-kansas-city-chiefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/09\/05\/philip-rivers-key-victory-kansas-city-chiefs\/","title":{"rendered":"Philip Rivers is the Key to Victory Over the Kansas City Chiefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Philip Rivers<\/a><\/strong> is in the final years of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>. The team seems to be trying to do their best to not waste those final years, and they\u2019ve assembled a team that is quite playoff capable. In the opening game against the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>, however, it\u2019s not just about those extra pieces showing up to play. It\u2019s\u00a0Rivers himself who needs to show up to allow his team to win.<\/p>\n

Philip Rivers is Crucial to a Win in Week One<\/h1>\n

Now, saying that Rivers is key to any Chargers victory may seem\u00a0like an obvious statement. He\u2019s been the soul of his team for about a decade. And besides, the Chiefs defense does not\u00a0really even\u00a0pose 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.<\/p>\n

This is where things get bizarre. For Rivers\u2019 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\u2019t beaten the Chiefs at all since 2013 \u2013 their last playoff season.<\/p>\n

This is why\u00a0Rivers is going to be pivotal in this matchup. For some reason, he\u2019s struggled against the Chiefs lately; particularly last year, even when he should have torn them to pieces given their league pass defense ranking.\u00a0It\u00a0will be difficult for other players on offense like Melvin Gordon<\/a><\/strong> or Keenan Allen<\/strong><\/a> to accomplish much if Rivers is throwing picks.<\/p>\n

Rivers vs the Chiefs Secondary<\/h2>\n

One positive for Rivers and the rest of the offense is that cornerback Marcus Peters<\/a><\/strong> 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<\/a>, where he might give Rivers trouble in Week Three; but we are getting ahead of ourselves. The point is, one\u00a0particular defensive\u00a0player that seemed to have Rivers\u2019 number in 2017 is no longer on the Chiefs.<\/p>\n

That leaves Eric Berry<\/a><\/strong> as perhaps the biggest secondary player to worry about; however, it\u2019s uncertain right now if he will even play on Sunday. That leaves new Chiefs acquisition Kendall Fuller<\/a><\/strong> 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\u00a0probably have\u00a0thought the same last year.<\/p>\n

Weapons Galore for Rivers<\/h2>\n

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\u00a0actually fairly\u00a0effective in the second game against the Chiefs in 2017. He had six receptions for 91 yards then. But then there\u2019s also Allen to consider, as well as potential breakout receiver Mike Williams<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also, something to watch out for is how the Chiefs choose to guard Antonio Gates<\/a><\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

Rivers is very capable of leading a victory over the Chiefs. And by all rights, he should. His offense is\u00a0loaded,\u00a0and the Chiefs secondary is not. And\u00a0it\u00a0may also help that they won\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>