The Kansas City Chiefs currently hold the fifth seed in the AFC, despite a huge five-game losing skid earlier in the season. The Chiefs took down the Houston Texans in their first game of the season, then went on to lose five games, including to good teams like the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals.
Chargers vs. Chiefs 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Kansas City Chiefs are in control of a playoff spot and they’ll try to keep it with a win over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.
But since then, the Chiefs have played excellent football. Quarterback Alex Smith isn't throwing for several touchdowns and 300 yards each game, but he's also not committing turnovers and hasn't thrown an interception in the team's last nine games. Kansas City has won its last six games, and have a relatively easy schedule through the last four games of the season.
Kansas City will face the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders to end their season, but first they have a rematch against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. The Chiefs have already beaten both the Chargers and the Raiders once this season.
San Diego is 3-9 on the season, well out of the playoff discussion. They managed to snap a six-game losing skid in Week 12 when they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, but had absolutely nothing for the Broncos when they played them in their last game. Philip Rivers has been playing excellent football this year, but the team has suffered through a ton of injuries around him and the defense hasn't been playing well.
The first time these two teams met, the Chiefs dominated. Alex Smith completed 20 of 25 passes, a predictably high percentage, for 253 yards and he did not throw an interception. Running back Spencer Ware rushed for 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Rivers had one of his worst games of the year, completing 19 of 30 passes for just 178 yards with an interception. The Chargers as a whole rushed for just 52 yards.
San Diego has a relatively easy remaining schedule, with games against the Raiders and Miami Dolphins, but they do play the Broncos in Week 17 and the Chiefs' outlook for the season is obviously much brighter.
The Chiefs have been so good in recent weeks due to their ability to protect the football. The Chiefs are second in the league in turnover differential, with a plus-13 mark thanks to 23 total takeaways and just 10 giveaways. They are second only to the undefeated Carolina Panthers, who are plus-14. The third-ranked team sits at plus-9.
San Diego has been awful in this area, ranking 28th in the league at minus-8 differential. The Chargers have just 11 takeaways on the season, with 19 giveaways. They are certainly not among the worst teams when it comes to turning the ball over, but the defense has been almost completely unable to force turnovers. They have seven interceptions and just four fumbles, while Rivers has thrown nine interceptions and the rest of the team has fumbled 10 times.
Rivers’ strong play is slowing and it’s apparent the Chargers have a lot more questions than answers. Still, all they’ll be looking for on Sunday is a better performance than the one they put up against the Chiefs the first time around.
How to watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
TV: CBS
Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Tasker, Steve Beuerlein
Online: NFL Game Pass
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