Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers Ten In-Depth Observations

Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) runs the ball during the first half against the San Diego Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

5. It’s always a treat to watch Jamaal Charles run the football, and even though we only got to see 13 carries from him yesterday, he still made them count. It wasn’t Charles’s best game on the stat sheet, but you can always see the constant toughness when he runs with the ball. There are plenty of backs in this league capable of making big plays, but what separates the great backs from the merely good ones is vision. Charles always seems to know where the hole is, and he never hesitates to explode through it. Like a good quarterback, a good running back must keep his eyes open to look for the next crease, and that’s exactly what he did. Counterpart Knile Davis averaged just 2.6 yards per carry on nine attempts, but he showed nice anticipation at times.

6. Eddie Royal had the best game of any of the Chargers pass-catchers when looking at the stat sheet, and he and Rivers hooked up on a 44-yard pass that was easily the team’s longest play of the game. It came as the result of confusion on the part of Royal’s man in coverage, as the Chargers ran crossing routes in an effort to create a blown-coverage assignment. It worked, as the opposing slot corner, Chris Owens, was slow to pick up Royal in coverage, and he was left stumbling after the fast wideout, who was wide open for an easy big play from Rivers.

The Chargers tried to hook-up on that exact same play (a wheel route from the slot) later in the game, but the result was a big victory for Chiefs veteran safety Kurt Coleman, who showed off great range, instincts, and ball skills to run in and intercept the pass. Rivers could have actually earned another big play out of that route to the sideline, but he was too late to throw it to Royal, which gave Coleman time to make the play (it also made it so that Coleman would be close enough to the receiver).

Next: DAT shows more all-around ability