Pumping hope into the masochists who them, it would be just like the Chargers (2-3) to upset the Chiefs (5-1) this week.
A 5 1/2-point underdog, the Chargers can take solace this week in two ingredients:
One, edge rusher Khalil Mack and mates are capable of exploiting K.C.’s suspect tandem of offensive tackles.
Two, the odds will be against Justin Herbert misfiring as badly in Arrowhead Stadium as he did Monday night in the 20-17 loss to the Cowboys.
Did too much adrenaline cause Herbert’s two costly overthrows of wide-open receiver Keenan Allen inside the QB-friendly Kroenke Dome?
Perhaps. Allen did look to calm Herbert after the second launch went to a different zip code.
At any rate, the second errant throw — which cost the Chargers either a touchdown or field-goal position — was a shocker.
Herbert had made a pump fake that helped free Allen.
Resetting his feet, the 6-foot-6 QB brought himself to full balance and alignment with Allen, who was some 20 yards down the left sideline.
The tight spiral, thrown in ideal conditions, cleared Allen by several yards.
For all his impressive strikes, that’s three times Herbert has badly overthrown an alone Allen in the past several months in a key situation.
Go back to the one-point playoff loss, last winter, for the other one. That time, Allen was in the end zone, and the Chargers ended up with a field goal.
Two bad throws Monday didn’t define Herbert’s performance.
But Cowboys QB Dak Pescott had the better game, even when ing for Dallas’ relentless, diverse rush.
Where the nominal home team Chargered away the game, though, was on defense — two cornerbacks’ penalties enabling the Cowboys to convert on third-and-18 en route to a late tie-breaking field goal.
No, it wasn’t nearly as bad as “Hey Diddle Diddle, Ray Rice over the middle” — the fourth-and-29 conversion allowed by the 2012 Chargers to the Ravens running back in Mission Valley.
Dallas was on its 16.
The score was 17-17, with 5:52 to go.
A four-man rush did its job, forcing Prescott out of bounds, well short of the first down.
But Michael Davis and Ja’Sir Taylor were both whistled for illegal . Neither flag seemed entirely fair.
A review of the All-22 video showed Davis began in press coverage to Prescott’s left, rode perimeter receiver CeeDee Lamb with handsy coverage past the 5-yard zone and may have bodied him downfield as Lamb angled toward the sideline. Twenty-three yards behind the line of scrimmage was safety Derwin James, offering inside , away from where Lamb headed.
In off coverage, Taylor awaited a vertical route from fellow second-year player Jalen Tolbert.
Tolbert, who hadn’t been targeted in the game, banged into Taylor about 10 yards downfield. The corner’s hand in response brought a flag that seemed even less warranted than the one on Davis, the team’s best corner.
It’s on to Kansas City for Brandon Staley’s team.
For what it’s worth, if the Chargers were to lose and fall 3 1/2 games behind the Chiefs, I doubt Staley would lose his job as a result. (For that matter, I’d expect John Spanos to retain Staley for next season, even if the Chargers were to fall short of the final wild card and seventh seed in playoffs.)
A rebound performance this week from Herbert and other stars would seem needed for the Chargers to tease many of their fans into falling hard for them again.
For Derwin James, it may begin with curbing his enthusiasm. The safety leads the NFL in penalties for unnecessary roughness, adding two to his total Monday. By losing containment on Prescott due to not trusting that teammate Asante Samuel would track Lamb in motion, James further opened the door to the QB’s first-quarter TD run.
All-Pro left tackle Rashawn Slater was beaten on consecutive plays by Dante Fowler, leading to a punt, and was called for holding against Dexter Lawrence.
Cowboys stars, for their part, shone down the stretch.
Prescott came up with four-plus gems in the fourth quarter. And ensuring the victory for Dallas, a 1.5- point favorite, All-Pro defender Micah Parsons began the two-play sequence that vetoed L.A.’s last bid.
On second-and-2, Parsons powered between L.A.’s right guard and right tackle to sack Herbert, despite the QB having taken just a three-step drop.
Austin Ekeler might have impeded Parsons. But an edge blitzer diverted his attention. Clever.
On third-and-10, the Cowboys sent a much different five-man rush that got home fast. Clever again. Herbert’s last-ditch throw went to cornerback Stephon Gilmore, waiting in zone coverage. He made a diving interception.
All told, a slight edge in the chess match went to Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
His unit, done noisy favors by Cowboys fans, who, according to the NFL Network, outnumbered by three to one fans of the nominal home team, became the first to hold the Chargers under 24 points this season.
