Are Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers prepared for measuring stick recreation towards Chiefs?

Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

Throughout his introductory press convention again in January, Jim Harbaugh mentioned he deliberate on successful a number of Tremendous Bowls as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, a crew that has but to hoist a Lombardi Trophy.�

Effectively, to do this, he’ll should get previous the back-to-back Tremendous Bowl champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, who occur to be in his personal division. Harbaugh will get his first probability on Sunday in an AFC West matchup vs. the Chiefs at SoFi Stadium.

“It is a large alternative,” Harbaugh instructed reporters this week. “And we’re attacking it as such.”�

The Chargers have misplaced their previous 5 video games towards Kansas Metropolis. However Harbaugh has a 5-1 document towards the Chiefs as a participant and a coach, together with a 2-0 mark towards Andy Reid. The 2 final met in 2014, when Harbaugh led the San Francisco 49ers to a 22-17 win over Kansas Metropolis.

Acknowledging the significance of Sunday’s recreation, Harbaugh gave props to Patrick Mahomes and the way the Chiefs have dominated the previous few years.

“He is had an incredible profession,” Harbaugh mentioned of Mahomes. “There’s nothing he cannot do.”

Along with going through the league’s greatest quarterback, the Chargers may be going into Sunday’s recreation with out a number of key gamers resulting from accidents and a suspension.

Onerous-hitting security Derwin James misplaced his attraction with the league and can serve a one-game suspension for repeated violations of the foundations supposed to guard the well being and security of gamers, in response to the NFL. The newest play below the microscope was James’ head-to-head collision with Pittsburgh tight finish Pat Freiermuth final week.�

Harbaugh was dissatisfied within the league’s determination.

“Derwin, to the very best of his potential, has tried to play the sport safely,” Harbaugh mentioned. “He genuinely doesn’t need to damage some other participant, and the movie is Exhibit A.”�

On the harm entrance, star quarterback Justin Herbert remains to be nursing a high-ankle sprain. Left deal with Rashawn Slater (strained pec), proper deal with Joe Alt (MCL knee sprain) and defensive finish Joey Bosa (hip) all missed observe on Wednesday.�

Harbaugh mentioned an MRI on Herbert’s proper ankle got here again damaging and that he is progressing. The QB, who was a restricted participant in observe on Wednesday, mentioned he is feeling much less ache than final week and can do every part he can to play.

Herbert began final week towards the Steelers however left the sport within the third quarter after reaggravating the ankle harm.

“It is going day-to-day, see how it’s and preserve getting higher,” he mentioned. “We felt like I used to be able final week to play. And I felt comfy and protected figuring out that I may transfer round and do as a lot as I may to guard myself.

“However we bought to that time the place they thought it was the very best determination to take me out as a result of I could not transfer or defend myself. I believe so long as we preserve getting higher day-to-day right here, we’ll see the place we find yourself.”�

Jim Harbaugh talks Justin Herbert’s management and talent set

Jim Harbaugh talks Justin Herbert's leadership and skill set

The Chargers have a bye week after going through the Chiefs, so the crew may give Herbert two weeks to heal earlier than a Week 6 contest at Denver. Herbert additionally missed two weeks throughout coaching camp with a plantar fascia concern in his proper foot.�

Taylor Heinicke would get the beginning if Herbert can not play. Picked up in a commerce simply earlier than the beginning of the common season, Heinicke went 1-3 as a starter for the Atlanta Falcons final season and has a 13-15-1 profession document.�

Probably on the plus aspect for the Chargers, they’ll face a struggling Mahomes this weekend. He has his lowest passing yards (659), passing touchdowns (5) and passer ranking although the primary three video games of any season in his profession.�

However the Chiefs are nonetheless 3-0, and Mahomes remains to be Mahomes. He’ll make his a hundredth profession begin on Sunday and already has essentially the most wins by a quarterback in his first 100 begins (77). He additionally has essentially the most passing yards (29,083), landing passes (224) and move completions (2,450) of any QB in NFL historical past in his first 100 begins.

Irrespective of who’s below middle for the Chargers, Harbaugh will proceed his ground-and-pound strategy. Working again J.Okay. Dobbins is third within the NFL in speeding (310) and averaging a league-leading 7.4 yards per carry. And the Chiefs are permitting 133.7 speeding yards per contest, tied for No. 13 within the NFL.�

“There’s loads of schemes to unpack,” Harbaugh mentioned this week. “[Chiefs defensive coordinator] Steve Spagnuolo has an enormous array. I believe there’s some coordinators who name issues off the decision sheet. I believe he does a few of that. But it surely’s all proper there in his head, and the best way he calculates could be very spectacular.”�

A win over the Chiefs would take the Chargers to 3-1 on the younger season. Since 1990, groups that begin 3-1 have a 65% probability of creating the playoffs, whereas groups that begin 2-2 have a 37% probability.�

So beating Kansas Metropolis wouldn’t solely ship a message to the back-to-back champs, it will additionally give Harbaugh a head begin on guiding the Chargers to the postseason in his first 12 months.�

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, masking theLos Angeles Rams for Sports activities Illustrated, theLos Angeles Chargers for ESPN and theSeattle Seahawks for the Tacoma Information Tribune. Observe him on Twitter at@eric_d_williams.

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