KEY MATCHUPS

OL Cameron Erving vs. Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram

Outside of fumbling issues, Erving has been the main source of problems for the Chiefs’ offense. He isn’t playing well against the pass or the run. He is very athletic for a lineman but needs to play more physically and improve his hand technique.

It won’t get easier for Erving this week as he matches up against Bosa and Ingram. We’ve already highlighted Bosa, and Ingram is very good in his own right, a two-time Pro Bowl selection. The Chiefs must find a way to help Erving out by keeping a tight end next to him or keeping running back in the backfield behind him to help pass block.

QB Patrick Mahomes vs. Chargers secondary

Mahomes was phenomenal in his return from injury last week, throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns. What’s even scarier is that he missed a few throws and could have easily gone over 500 passing yards.

As unfair as it is, with as inconsistent as his defense is, Mahomes has very little room for error against a very good Chargers pass defense. He will have to be efficient pre-snap and make smart decisions with the football.

Chiefs WRs vs. Casey Hayward

Last week Chiefs receivers not named Tyreek Hill were largely disappointing. Sammy Watkins had a couple of bad drops, and Demarcus Robinson had a crucial red-zone drop on third down.

The Chiefs need another receiver to relieve some pressure off Hill and step up. Hayward is capable of shutting down an entire side of the field.

OVERVIEW

This is the Chiefs’ biggest game of the season, and it will be on a big stage. They must regain their aggressiveness defensively, clean up special teams play and re-emphasize ball security.

If K.C. loses this game, it could find itself behind the Raiders going into a crucial matchup with them in two weeks after the bye week. A win, however, keeps the Chiefs undefeated within the AFC West and give them a leg up for the division title.