December 28, 2019
By Fred Liggett
FredL@lstribune.net
The final weekend of the NFL regular season has arrived and much like our Christmas presents there are a few surprises when looking over the schedule. The Kansas City Chiefs regular season finale finds them hosting an AFC West Division rival in the LA Chargers. The Chiefs/Chargers match up this week is one not many saw coming.
The 2019 schedule found three home games for the Chiefs in the final month of the season and all three against division opponents. The thought was they might need two if not three wins in those games to repeat as a division champion. The Chiefs didn’t need that much help as they enter this final week as the only AFC West team above .500. Winning division games consistently has been the norm under KC Chiefs coach Andy Reid and 2019 was no different as his team is undefeated at 5-0 coming into Sunday’s game. The Chiefs having secured a fourth straight division championship have their sights on bigger goals with a win over the Chargers.
When the Chiefs went back to work on Tuesday to prepare for the Chargers game they made sure to announce the team would be playing it’s starters. The Chiefs, 11-4 overall, is looking to earn the #2 seed in the upcoming AFC playoffs. The Chiefs have beaten this season both teams currently seeded ahead of them in the playoffs. Top seed Baltimore clinched the top spot last Sunday leaving only #2 spot for the Chiefs to shoot for. The big difference between being a two or three seed is the top two teams get a week off before playoff action while the three seed plays every week until they are eliminated. As Chiefs fans noticed last year it’s great to have home field advantage in the playoffs and a bye week so your favorite team can get healthy before starting a Super Bowl run.
While the Chiefs are having fun riding a five-game winning streak and looking ahead to who they will play in the playoffs, the Chargers come to town sitting in the basement of the AFC West Division. At the start of the season some predicted the Chargers would surprise other teams and win the AFC West. As evidence they pointed to the Chargers come from behind 29-28 win at Arrowhead last December that broke several Chiefs West Division winning streaks. Thanks to injuries piling up, some tough luck losses and ineffective play from QB Phillip Rivers the Chargers have failed to win a single division game. The Chargers at 5-10 overall and 0-5 in the division coming into this week’s game is truly a surprise.
“You never know in this business” is why Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said this week his coaches and players will prepare for the Chargers best shot. The Chiefs have won 10 out of their last 11 meetings with the Chargers which includes a 24-17 win earlier this season in a game played in Mexico. Chiefs fans having enjoyed Christmas this week will also enjoy watching the Chiefs score another AFC West Division win at Arrowhead over the Chargers. That’s What I REID Into It for this week.
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