Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Kansas City 34 at San Diego 35 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Kansas City Chiefs: WR Marc Boerigter is an NFL rookie with CFL experience. Entering this game, he'd managed 1 catch thus far but exploded for 5 receptions, 85 yards and 2 TDs. QB Trent Green was noticeably limping at the end of the game. As he often does, Green did not look great on the field, but finished with excellent numbers - 236 yards and 3 TDs. RB Priest Holmes had another solid game against one of the toughest defenses in the game. Seems to be playing on a different level than the competition. TE Tony Gonzalez, Johnnie Morton, and Eddie Kennison were not an important part of the offense this week catching only 3 passes between them. The Kansas City defense did a great job winning the turnover battle 5-2 and blocked a punt, but they did a poor job of tackling and the secondary had the majority of the tackles. San Diego Chargers: QB Drew Brees proved today he's earned the job as quarterback and team leader. He kept his cool and confidence and brought the team back from a late 10 point deficit. RB LaDainian Tomlinson is the cornerstone of the Charger offense. He proved he is a top 10 back and matched Priest Holmes almost yard for yard. He is a very strong runner. WR Curtis Conway again was the leading Charger receiver. He and Tomlinson are the two offensive players to own in San Diego. Even though the Chargers lost the turnover battle 5-2 and had a blocked punt, the defense held strong and gave Brees and the rest of the offense a chance to win it in the fourth quarter. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Kansas City Chiefs QB: Trent Green completed 17 of 29 passes for 236 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions (one interception was on a Hail Mary pass to end the game). He also ran for 25 yards on 4 carries. He had a noticeable limp in the second half and his passes didn't seem to have that much zip. Almost half of his yardage came from swing passes to Priest Holmes where Holmes gained the yards with his running ability. Green did a great job of not forcing the ball to his top receivers Morton and Kennison who were covered well all day. Instead, Green just took what the defense gave him which was swing passes to Holmes and longer passes to 4th receiver Marc Boerigter who often had mismatched single coverage. RB: Priest Holmes is the key to the Chief's offense. The Charger's defensive plan appeared to be to stack the box and make Green beat them in the air. One of the toughest run defenses in the NFL did limit Holmes on the ground to only 63 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown, but he still carried the offense by also catching 7 passes for 96 yards. Holmes' combination of power, speed, and cutting ability make him a must start every week. WR: Johnnie Morton was missing in action. He couldn't get open and Green didn't force it to him. His biggest use seems to be as a decoy and down field blocking. Eddie Kennison had only 1 catch for 21 yards. He was covered most of the day like Morton. The offense seems to be able to function without production from its wide outs. Dante Hall didn't get a chance to show off his speed much. He had only 1 catch for 12 yards. He dropped another pass that he should have caught. Marc Boerigter, welcome to the NFL. After playing the last 2 years in the CFL and having only 1 catch this year coming into this game, Boerigter exploded with 4 catches for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns. He drew mismatches from the defense and was the only Chief receiver to be able to get open down field. Keep an eye on him the next few weeks and see if his role in the offense expands. TE: Tony Gonzalez had a tough day. He had a linebacker assigned to shadow him on almost every play. It was good for Holmes because they focused so much on covering Gonzalez that Holmes was left wide open. Gonzalez finished with two catches for 11 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a beautiful catch on a play action corner fade route. Pass Defense: The Kansas City pass defense was not that good. They didn't provide much pressure on Brees and allowed him to complete 68% of his passes for 319 yards. Safety Jason Belser and corner Eric Warfield each had an interception and recovered a fumble. The team did a poor job of coverage, especially in the fourth quarter. Rushing Defense: The rushing defense was a little better and held Tomlinson to 78 rushing yards. They were very vulnerable against the reverse though and allowed 2 touchdowns and 48 yards on the 3 end around plays that San Diego ran. Safety Shaunard Harts lead the team with 11 solo tackles and 1 assist while also forcing 2 fumbles. Defensive tackle Ryan Sims left the game with what could be a serious elbow injury. 29 of the 49 solo tackles made by Kansas City were made by defensive backs. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** San Diego Chargers QB: Drew Brees completed 28 of 41 passes for 319 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also ran for 27 yards on 5 carries. Even though the Chargers were behind by 10 points late in the game, Brees kept his poise and confidence and led the Chargers to victory. He did force it to Conway a few times, but for the most part he spread the ball around well. Keep in mind this is a run based offense, but when he is needed to bring the club back from behind, it looks like Brees has the tools to do it. RB: LaDainian Tomlinson had 20 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown and had another 78 yards receiving on 9 catches. The line didn't open huge holes, but they were big enough for Tomlinson to power through. Like Priest Holmes, Tomlinson is the key to San Diego's offense. Tomlinson broke many tackles often getting into the secondary before being brought down. WR: Curtis Conway is still the main receiver in San Diego. Even after fumbling twice, Brees kept throwing to Conway who finished with 8 catches for 129 yards. He also scored a touchdown on an 11 yard end around play. With the passing game focused on him, Conway should remain a top receiver. Tim Dwight had a bigger role again this week. He had 5 catches for 39 yards and a touchdown which were mostly short crossing routes. He also had 2 end around plays totaling 37 yards, one of which he pounded into the end zone with a head first dive. He can be a factor when the Chargers are playing catch up. Reche Caldwell caught 3 passes for 25 yards and the game winning touchdown. He has good hands, but the number 3 receiver for a run based offense isn't usually worth picking up. TE: Josh Norman, filling in for the injured Stephen Alexander, had a good start catching 2 quick passes for 49 yards before leaving the game with his own injury. This could be a factor because it looks like the Charger offense wants to use their tight end for production. Pass Defense: The Charger pass defense was solid. They applied decent pressure to Trent Green and blanketed Morton, Kennison, and Gonzalez all day. The only breakdowns were getting caught in mismatches on Boerigter and leaving Holmes open when they tried to cover Gonzalez. Safety Rodney Harrison had the only sack and had several big hits. Safety Keith Lyle and Linebacker Donnie Edwards had the two interceptions. Also, when linebacker Junior Seau left the game with an injured foot shortly after the start of the second half, Edwards took over the leadership and motivation role of the unit. Rushing Defense: San Diego's rushing defense was solid. It held the Chiefs to 88 rushing yards. Even without defensive end Marcellus Wiley and the early departure of Seau, the defensive unit held strong. The line plugged up the middle and the linebackers were fast enough to contain Holmes. The Charger defense played much better than the score would show. The Charger's had 5 turnovers and a blocked punt compared to 2 Kansas City turnovers. The Chiefs had good field position and scored off of turnovers several times. Special Teams: Charger punter Darren Bennett had a punt blocked by Larry Atkins. It was recovered by Glenn Cadrez who was dropped by Bennett with a touchdown saving tackle at the one yard line. It set up the rushing touchdown by Priest Holmes.