Chargers fans had to break out “the wave” in the third quarter to keep them entertained.
A 43-14 shellacking of the Chiefs (3-8) had the Chargers (8-3) buzzing with confidence in the locker room after the game. Craig Elsten and J.T. Rogan with 619Sports.net broke down the Bolts victory in a post-game podcast.
Antonio Gates, who scored two touchdowns on the afternoon, compared the feel for Sunday’s game to a college homecoming and the Chargers made the final score look like homecoming. The offense was able to pile up 426 yards on the afternoon against a depleted Chiefs defense.
“The defense gets pretty dejected," Rogan said, “Because if you’re game planning and you’re trying to stop one or two weapons, that’s something you might be able to do, but with the amount of weapons the Chargers have, it gets really difficult to stop them.”
One of those weapons is Phillip Rivers, who quietly put together a nearly spotless afternoon with two touchdowns and 317 yards passing, compiling a 135.6 passer rating.
“A lot of that is the by-product of Norv Turner’s ability to call plays and put Phillip in a situation to make plays,” Rogan said, “He’s very efficient so he can quietly do his job while allowing the other players to have the spotlight.”
Despite Eric Weddle leaving the game early with a knee injury and Shawne Merriman being out with a foot injury, the defense for the Bolts was dominant creating four turnovers in the game.
“It was an impressive defensive performance and I think with so many stars of the team defensively out, even more so,” Elsten said.
They also got some help from the center for the Chiefs who snapped the ball over quarterback Matt Cassel’s head twice in the game, something rarely seen at a professional level.
“I think we both credit Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs for being an outstanding player on the field today,” Elsten joked.
Rogan said the Chargers locker room after the game was buzzing with confidence and it looks like another “W” is on the horizon as the Bolts travel to Cleveland next week to play the struggling Browns.
“They say winning is contagious and you can see that, every person in there, everybody is happy to be part of the victory.”
