(Kansas City) As expected, the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs have been good on offense this season, at least from a statistical standpoint. This means, in the complementary world of the NFL, that their divergent records are due to the performance of their defensive unit.
The Chargers are 2-3 mainly because they have allowed more yards than all but one team in the league.
The Chiefs are 5-1 thanks to a defense that has allowed fewer points than all but one club.
“Yeah, it helps a lot, especially when you’re not playing your best football [on offense],” conceded Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was openly critical of his own play ahead of Sunday’s game between the two rivals. the western section of the American.
“Our defense is holding up for us right now, but we want to take the pressure off them so they can play freely and be even better. »
The Chiefs thus show the best record in the NFL – tied with four teams – but Mahomes believes that his offensive unit is still finding its bearings.
Despite Mahomes’ impressions, the Chiefs are second in passing yards, fourth in total offense and ninth in points scored after the first six weeks of the season. And if those stats are inflated by a one-sided win over the Chicago Bears, the offense has been pretty impressive week to week.
One of the reasons Mahomes is unhappy is the offensive unit’s struggles reaching the end zone. The Chiefs piled up yards between the 20 lines while opponents covered the deep zones, but they were held back by turnovers and penalties in the pay zone.
“You have to keep pushing, keep getting better and better,” Mahomes said. That’s all we can do. We understand that the offense will have to contribute to win big games. »
It could happen this week. The Chargers, despite some disjointed streaks, are in the top 10 in aerial play, total offense and points scored. They will need their offense since they have one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
“It’ll be a different week because it’s a shorter week,” said Chargers coach Brandon Staley, whose team just played Monday night, while the Chiefs played the previous Thursday.
“But in terms of approach, how we follow the game plan and what needs to be better, it has to stay the same. What you need to focus on are the keys to victory. What will ultimately impact victory on Sunday? This is what we need to focus on right now. Until kickoff, let’s just focus on the things that will help us win. »