Chief's QB Matt Cassel didn't travel to San Diego after having an emergency appendectomy on Wednesday. It looked like the rest of the team stayed home, as well, with the way they played.
Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes and the Chargers remained remains in the AFC West race with a 31-0 win Sunday over the division leaders, Chiefs. The Chargers move in to second place with the Raiders' losing to Jacksonville, which dropped the Raiders to 6-7 and put the Chargers just one game behind the KC. A loss would have eliminated the Chargers from the division race.
The Chiefs were such a non-factor that they were held to 67 yards, the second-fewest in their history, and suffered their first regular-season shutout loss to the Chargers.
"Defensively, I'm not sure that you could play any better than that," said Chargers coach Norv Turner, who gave game balls to the offensive and defensive lines.
"It's a playoff game and we can't lose," Rivers said. "We know that. We can't look to January because there's no guarantee we are going to get there. But it's playoff football from here on out, and it still may not be enough."
The Chargers outgained the Chiefs 426 yards to 67. San Diego allowed only five first downs -- one in the second half -- to tie its team record. Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, third in the NFL with 1,137 yards rushing coming in, was held to 40 yards on 10 carries.
Rivers was 18 of 24 for 226 yards and the Chargers ran for a season-high 207 yards a week after being held to 21 in a 28-13 loss to Oakland.
Darren Sproles bounced back from a concussion to catch five passes for 51 yards and run six times for 53 yards. Fullback Mike Tolbert gained 66 yards on 16 carries and scored once, and rookie Ryan Mathews had 65 yards on 16 carries and a score.
Said Chargers right tackle Jeromey Clary: "They've got fresh legs and they're all different styles of runners. Mike Tolbert is the bowling ball, Mathews is the bowling ball with a little bit more speed than Tolbert and Sproles is just good speed. They're tough to prepare for."
The Chargers are above .500 for only the second time this season. It was their first shutout since winning 27-0 at Oakland on Sept. 11, 2006.
The Chiefs were shut out for the first time since a 34-0 loss at Carolina on Oct. 5, 2008. They had only 16 yards and one first down in the second half. Croyle dropped to 0-10 as an NFL starter.
"I think if Cassel played we were going to play great anyway," Chargers safety Eric Weddle said. "That was just our mentality. Maybe they would have put up a little more yards, but I don't think one guy would have made a difference in a 31-0 game."
Rivers led the Chargers to a 21-0 halftime lead. He threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Floyd on their first drive and hit him again with a 9-yard TD pass with 40 seconds before halftime. In between, Tolbert ran 8 yards untouched for a touchdown midway through the second quarter.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, were outgained 256 yards to 51 yards in the first half and had only four first downs compared to San Diego's 17.
Rivers was intercepted and lost a fumble on consecutive drives in the third quarter.
Nate Kaeding kicked a 48-yard field goal Mathews scored on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter.
It was the Chiefs who started the Chargers out on what's been a mediocre season by beating San Diego 21-14 on Sept. 13. Rookie Dexter McCluster returned a punt a team-record 94 yards for a touchdown, the first of many special teams blunders.
Darren Sproles bounced back from a concussion to catch five passes for 51 yards and run six times for 53 yards. Fullback Mike Tolbert gained 66 yards on 16 carries and scored once, and rookie Ryan Mathews had 65 yards on 16 carries and a score.
Said Chargers right tackle Jeromey Clary: "They've got fresh legs and they're all different styles of runners. Mike Tolbert is the bowling ball, Mathews is the bowling ball with a little bit more speed than Tolbert and Sproles is just good speed. They're tough to prepare for."
The Chargers are above .500 for only the second time this season. It was their first shutout since winning 27-0 at Oakland on Sept. 11, 2006.
The Chiefs were shut out for the first time since a 34-0 loss at Carolina on Oct. 5, 2008. They had only 16 yards and one first down in the second half. Croyle dropped to 0-10 as an NFL starter.
"I think if Cassel played we were going to play great anyway," Chargers safety Eric Weddle said. "That was just our mentality. Maybe they would have put up a little more yards, but I don't think one guy would have made a difference in a 31-0 game."
Rivers led the Chargers to a 21-0 halftime lead. He threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Floyd on their first drive and hit him again with a 9-yard TD pass with 40 seconds before halftime. In between, Tolbert ran 8 yards untouched for a touchdown midway through the second quarter.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, were outgained 256 yards to 51 yards in the first half and had only four first downs compared to San Diego's 17.
Rivers was intercepted and lost a fumble on consecutive drives in the third quarter.
Nate Kaeding kicked a 48-yard field goal Mathews scored on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter.
It was the Chiefs who started the Chargers out on what's been a mediocre season by beating San Diego 21-14 on Sept. 13. Rookie Dexter McCluster returned a punt a team-record 94 yards for a touchdown, the first of many special teams blunders.
The Chargers more than returned the favor.
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