Chargers Look Really Bad Now

This was the game when the San Diego Chargers were supposed to get better. They didn't. In fact, they look a whole lot worse. The Chiefs did a great job of making the Chargers stop themselves with mistakes and turnovers. Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham relied on his four-man rush to create pressure while dropping seven into coverage on the backend. Starting CBs Ty Law and Patrick Surtain, along with the rest of the secondary, were very physical on the back end and disrupted the timing and rhythm of the San Digeo passing game, which made it very difficult for QB Phillip Rivers to find open areas in the Chiefs' Cover 2 schemes. Kansas City also dialed up some zone fires and blitzes that pressured the right side of the pocket and hindered Rivers' vision when trying to find passing windows. With Philip Rivers melting down, the Kansas City Chiefs shocked the Chargers 30-16 on Sunday, scoring 24 straight points in the second half and getting huge plays from two rookies. Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs' first-round draft pick, caught a go-ahead, 51-yard touchdown pass from Damon Huard early in the fourth quarter, and cornerback Tyron Brackenridge raced 50 yards for a score after Rivers was sacked and fumbled with just more than seven minutes left. It was the third straight loss for the Chargers (1-3), which exceeds their loss total from last year, when they were an NFL-best 14-2 before their playoff pratfall against New England. Rivers was mercilessly booed in the second half. Those fans who weren't streaming out of the stadium showed their displeasure by chanting "Marty! Marty! Marty!" late in the game, an obvious reference to Marty Schottenheimer, who was fired in February and replaced with Norv Turner. The Chargers have been unproductive under Turner, whose overall record in three NFL head coaching stints is 59-85-1. The chants came after Rivers threw four straight incompletions from the 5-yard line with less than four minutes left. Rivers had two interceptions and one fumble, which led to 17 points. Larry Johnson gained 123 yards on 25 carries for the Chiefs (2-2). LaDainian Tomlinson finally cracked triple digits for the Chargers, gaining 132 yards on 20 carries, surpassing his season total of 130.
This article was written by the San Diego (AP).