Chargers face Chiefs and crowd Saturday night

Dec 14, 2017 - 1:39 AM COSTA MESA. Calif. -- It's an AFC West showdown between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night that few saw coming.

When these two rivals last met in September, the Chargers were smack dab in a swoon. They lost their first four games, including a 24-10 verdict to Kansas City, and Los Angeles' newest NFL team was having its 2017 obit scribbled before unpacking.

The Chiefs bolted from the gate with the same vigor as the Chargers staggered the other way. Kansas City won its opening five games as it started to run away with the division.

But an NFL season has plenty of twists and turns, and it's no truer when looking at these squads. The Chargers (7-6) have won four straight and seven of their last nine games to earn a share of the AFC West lead.

The Chiefs (7-6) have seen the other side of it, losing six of their last eight games.

Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn consumes all that and shrugs. All he knows about the Chiefs is they thumped the Oakland Raiders, 26-15, their last time out and that's good enough to him.

"They look like the same team to me," he said.

The Chargers look anything but like the group that stumbled when the curtain was raised. Quarterback Philip Rivers has gotten hot and the defense has produced turnovers with a vengeance of late.

But Lynn isn't buying into the notion the Chargers are getting the Chiefs at the right time. Not on a cold Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium, where the fans will be in the holiday spirit and vocal.

And not with the Chiefs offering an offense with a speedster in wide receiver Tyreek Hill, a solid tight end in Travis Kelce and an exciting youngster in running back Kareem Hunt.

"He's having a really good year for a rookie," said Lynn, a former NFL running back. "I could see them running him more this last quarter of the season, especially in the type of weather that we're going to be in.

"We're going to definitely have to have hats to the ball to stop him, because he's a good runner and he's also a good receiver."

The Chargers gave more than they received in losing to the Chiefs earlier this season. Rivers was picked off three times and that was pretty much the game.

"Interceptions put us in a hole, definitely did," Lynn said. "But I thought we overcame that. We still had a chance to win that game in the fourth quarter. We didn't get it done."

They've done plenty since then to climb back in the AFC West playoff race.

SERIES HISTORY: 115th regular-series meeting. Chiefs lead series, 59-54-1. The Chargers have fallen to the Chiefs seven straight times, which is the second-most all-time against their longtime AFC West rivals. The Chargers have had trouble with San Diego native Alex Smith as he is 6-1 lifetime against the Chargers, throwing for 1,741 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions. The Chargers' last win at Arrowhead Stadium was a thriller, 41-38, in 2013. The teams have met once in the playoffs, with the Chargers prevailing on a rainy afternoon in San Diego, 17-0, in an AFC Divisional game in 1992.

--The next touchdown pass between quarterback Philip Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates will be the 86th for the combo and will break a tie with Steve Young and Jerry Rice for the second-most in NFL history. Against the Chiefs, Gates has 114 catches for 1,421 yards and 16 touchdowns. That is the most in every category, in his career, against a team.

--The Chargers are playing their first night game since the season opener. They brought lights into their Orange County facility to prepare for the game. They will also brush up on silent counts and getting snaps off under noise in anticipation of Saturday night's boisterous crowd at Arrowhead Stadium.

--The 354 yards the Chargers collected in the first half of Sunday's win over the Redskins was more yardage than the Giants, Raiders, Texans, Packers, Browns, Bengals, Panthers, Colts, Bills, Saints and Falcons gained in their games.

--Right tackle Joe Barksdale continues to battle a toe injury. It cost him five games earlier in the season, but he's back and playing. Like nearly everyone else this late in the season, Barksdale is ailing with a bum toe that constantly barks.

"Every step, from the moment you wake up in the morning to when you got to bed at night, and that's just from walking on it," he said.

NOTES: TE Antonio Gates (rest) didn't practice on Wednesday. ... DT Corey Liuget (toe) was limited on Wednesday. ... LT Russell Okung (knee) was limited in practice on Wednesday. ... RB Russell Hansbrough was signed to the practice squad. ... DE Isaac Rochell has been elevated from the practice squad. ... RB Andre Williams (wrist) was placed on Injured Reserve.