I see a team that is beaten. Physically and mentally beaten down. I didn’t see any bit of life in the Chiefs during their 31-13 loss at San Diego. They were lacking emotion and that for me, is the tell tale sign that a change has to be made…soon. A change in GM or head coach will not change a 1-7 team into a playoff contender, but the organization has to show the fan base that this type of losing won’t be tolerated and its time to blow this team up now and start over instead of waiting until January.
Four more turnovers, including two that led to fourth quarter touchdowns, brings the Chiefs season total to 29. With the Chiefs trailing 17-6, Cassel fumbled as he was sacked by Jarret Johnson in the end zone and Shaun Phillips recovered for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. On the next drive, Cassel’s pass deflected off Dexter McCluster’s hands and was intercepted by Demorrio Williams, who returned it 59 yards for a touchdown.
I just didn’t see any emotion coming from Cassel. After each turnover, he just shook his head, walked over to the sideline and met with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Not that every turnover was his fault. He should have gotten ride of the ball before getting hit in the end zone and even then, he shouldn’t have lost the ball. He was sloppy in protecting it. Dwayne Bowe fumbled on the Chiefs opening drive, again sloppy with ball protection and McCluster should have caught the pass in the fourth quarter. Lack of focus is killing this team.
Defensively, there is no fire there. In the second half, there was a tackle for loss and none of the players rallied around each, they got back to the huddle with just a couple of slaps on the back.
By then, Phillip Rivers had done enough damage. He completed 18-of-20 passes (90 percent) for 220 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. It was the sixth time in NFL history a quarterback had completed 90 percent or more of his passes (minimum 20 attempts), and tied Steve Young for fifth on that list. Rivers also threw a 13-yard TD pass to Malcom Floyd early in the fourth quarter. Within a span of three minutes after that TD toss, the Chargers turned the game into a laugher.