THURSDAY NIGHT PREVIEW:
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (1-0) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1-0)
Week 2 of the 2022 season gets underway with the first-ever NFL regular-season game to air exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. On Thursday, September 15 (8:15 PM ET), the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Los Angeles Chargers in a pivotal, early-season AFC West showdown. This will mark the first of 15 Thursday Night Football games to air exclusively on Prime Video this season (Weeks 2-17, excluding Thanksgiving). The game will feature Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung on the call.
The Chiefs lead the all-time regular-season series, 65-57-1, including a 34-28 overtime victory on Thursday Night Football in their last meeting in Week 15 of the 2021 season. Quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES threw the game-winning 34-yard touchdown to tight end TRAVIS KELCE on the first drive of overtime. It was the third touchdown pass of the game for Mahomes – second to Kelce – as he totaled a season-high 410 passing yards in the win. Kelce posted a career-high 191 receiving yards on 10 catches.
Each team enters Thursday coming off Week 1 victories. The Chiefs went on the road to defeat Arizona, 44-21, as Mahomes threw for 360 yards and five touchdowns for a 144.2 rating. It marked his sixth-career game with at least five touchdown passes, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (six) and BEN ROETHLISBERGER (six) for the fourth-most games all-time. Only DREW BREES (11), TOM BRADY (nine) and Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (nine) have more. Kelce led the team with eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, his 30th-career game with at least 100 receiving yards, joining ROB GRONKOWSKI (32 games) and Pro Football Hall of Famer TONY GONZALEZ (31) as the only tight ends with at least 30 such games in NFL history.
Running back CLYDE EDWARDS-HELAIRE caught a career-high two touchdown passes in Week 1, while rookie running back ISIAH PACHECO rushed for his first-career touchdown. On defense, defensive tackle CHRIS JONES recorded his 11th-career forced fumble last week. He has totaled four sacks in his past two Thursday games. Defensive end CARLOS DUNLAP had a sack in his Chiefs debut on Kickoff Weekend and has 5.5 sacks in six career games against the Chargers. Linebacker NICK BOLTON, who led all rookies with 112 tackles in 2021, posted a team-high 10 tackles in Week 1.
The Chargers defeated the Raiders at home last week, 24-19. Quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT passed for 297 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 129.4 rating. It marked his ninth career game with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions, tied with Mahomes for the most-ever by a player in his first three seasons. In four career games against Kansas City, Herbert has 13 touchdowns (10 passing, three rushing) and a 108.3 rating. He finished the 2021 season with at least 300 passing yards in each of his final five road games. Wide receiver MIKE WILLIAMS aims for his third in a row at Kansas City with at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown catch. Running back AUSTIN EKELER tied for the league lead with 20 touchdowns last season and aims for his fourth in a row against the Chiefs with a score. Rookie fullback ZANDER HORVATH recorded a touchdown catch last week in his NFL debut.
Linebacker KHALIL MACK led the team with three sacks and had a forced fumble in his Chargers debut in Week 1. Since entering the league in 2014, Mack ranks tied for second among all players with 24 forced fumbles. Linebacker JOEY BOSA also recorded a forced fumble last week and added 1.5 sacks. He posted a sack and forced fumble in the teams’ last meeting and aims for his fifth in a row in primetime with a sack. Safety DERWIN JAMES tied for the team lead with six tackles in Week 1 and posted a sack, while cornerback ASANTE SAMUEL JR. recorded his third-career interception in the win. Samuel also had an interception in last year’s Week 3 meeting in Kansas City.
The Chiefs are looking to begin 2-0 for the fifth time in the past six years, while the Chargers are aiming to win their first two games of a season for the first time since 2012.
COURTESY NFLmedia.com
