Eric Smith | LA Chargers Sr. Writer

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Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. We're excited to welcome Eric Smith, who's a senior writer covering the Chargers for their website. Chargers.com was at the game just a few hours ago.

And Eric, when you hear that final call from Matt, he says, talk about heartbreak. How accurate is that for the Chargers locker room after this game? Yeah, pretty accurate. Pretty accurate. That's a good word to describe it.

Frustrated would be another word for sure. And you kind of said it right there. The Chargers can hang with the Chiefs, no doubt. They play them close almost every time. They just can't seem to find a way to win consistently against KC. And no team really can in the AFC West. But the Chargers probably give them a fit more than any other team. But yeah, frustrating tonight. You know, you had the lead early, you had the lead late, and just can't close it out.

Why is that, Eric? In your opinion, what's the major difference still between these two teams? Yeah, first of all, you have to give credit to the Chiefs. They have a generational quarterback, a generational tight end. Drew Twinkle, the Chargers linebacker tonight, we know that's one of the best tandems in the league.

And you have to do all you can to stop it. The Chargers played their tails off, like you said. It's just a play here, a play there.

I mean, that's really it. The Chiefs split up the Chargers this year. The Chargers lost both games by a field goal each game. They're right there.

They're right there. You know, they're not getting blown out. It's just a play here, a play there. And when you have Patrick Mahomes on the other side, you have to play perfect to win, it feels like. And like I said, the Chargers came up a couple plays short. What did the defense have to say about keeping track or losing Travis Kelce? He's a big man, Eric, and yet somehow he does this to all kinds of defenses. Yeah, no, he does.

He's phenomenal. Derwin James owned up to it. It was man-to-man. Derwin on Kelce, that's a matchup that both teams probably want. The Chargers want Derwin on Kelce, and the Chiefs will want to get Kelce the ball. Derwin just said that Kelce beat him on the route, and he said he kind of got picked a little bit.

Like, he didn't say that. Like, the Chiefs guy kind of got in his way, and by the time he tried to catch up, it was too late. And then Kelce was open, you know, ran across the field and scored. But yeah, frustrating was a theme of the entire team, but especially on defense. You know, they said when the offense gets the lead with, you know, a minute 45 left and you go on the field, you expect to get off the field.

When you don't, you feel like you kind of let the other side down, and that's exactly how that felt. Eric Smith is with us from Los Angeles following this Chargers-Chiefs game, another one in the AFC West, where it's kind of astounding, actually, Eric. I heard one of the announcers that I was listening to say it, and of course it's true when you see it in black and white. But the fact that this AFC West was rebuilt in a way that was supposed to make it uber competitive, and the Chargers have been, they just haven't come up with the wins against Kansas City yet. But they're back to.500. The Broncos and Raiders are, they're not lost necessarily, but they're scuffling big time. And there, once again, are the Chiefs, now with a three-game lead. They're three games clear in the West. I'd say four, because they're up three games in the standings, yeah, but they have the head-to-head sweep over the Chargers. So they're simply up four games with, what do we have, seven to go? I mean, everyone pretty much knew, like, in order to have a chance to win the West, or at least stay in the race, you know, the Chargers had to win tonight.

And now, I mean, it seems all but inevitable that I think the Chiefs are going to win it for a seventh year in a row, so that just keeps on happening. What are the positives for what you see with the offense, first of all, for the Chargers? You mentioned them having the lead early and late.

What did they do well? Well, they got healthy, sort of. You know, that's sort of funny to say, because, like, having Keenan Allen and Mike Williams come back with such a big boost on the field, but also just, like, emotionally, like, having their two leaders back. And you could see it early, you know, the Chargers, you know, they put up points in the first half, they scored early, like, they played well. And then Mike Williams has that incredible sideline catch, re-aggravated ankle, and he was out for the rest of the game, so we'll kind of monitor that. Keenan was supposed to be on a pitch count.

He kind of was early, and the mic goes out, so then Keenan had to kind of throw that out the window, and really wasn't on it for the rest of the game, because obviously we're a shorter body, so he has to play. You know, I think the potential of this offense is still there. They just need to get everyone on the field, and that just hasn't happened.

Like, the three-headed monster, per se, of Keenan, Mike, and then Josh Palmer, you know, he had over 100 yards and two touchdowns tonight. When they're all on the field, the Chargers have weapons, for sure. You know, throwing Herbert and Austin Eckler, you know, the offense can score, but they just have kind of battled injuries all year. The positive, I think, is like the team continues to fight, you know, injuries that ravage the team from essentially week one.

You know, I know they're 500, and I know it's frustrating right now, but I've set it on the record for weeks now. I think the Chargers still make the playoffs. You know, they have seven games left. The schedule gets a little bit easier.

They're getting healthier. I think they go on a run and find a way to get in. What will it take? Will it take a playoff spot for them to have the type of breakthrough that signifies, at least at some point, some ways that they've reached some of their goals?

Or that they're seeing the fruit of their work and their labor to try to establish a new winning culture? Yeah, I think that's fair, given the expectations internally and externally going into the year. You know, I think everyone expected the Chargers to compete with the Chiefs for the division, and it was going to go down to the wire. Obviously, we're in week 11, and that's not the case.

You know, like I said, the Chargers are right there. With the Chiefs, they've been in other games. I think four of their five losses are by a touchdown or less. Rarely are they getting blown out. Like I said, they've kind of been rabid by injuries. But yeah, I think the playoffs is the goal.

Like I said, I still think they get in. It's just been a taxing season mentally, physically on this team. They've spent a lot. They've had to use a lot of players.

We'll just kind of see what they got left for the final seven games. Eric Smith is with us from L.A., covers the Chargers for their website, Chargers.com. It's after hours on CBS Sports Radio. I'm always amazed, and maybe it just sounds or looks different on TV, but the number of visiting fans who seem to crowd into SoFi, it's not like this is just a Chargers challenge.

It's also a Rams challenge, too. What did it sound like to you in terms of the balance between the two fan bases? Yeah, there were some Chiefs fans there tonight. I know they always travel well. That's just how it goes. If I was a Chiefs fan and I lived in Missouri or whatever and I could come out to L.A. for the weekend, I might, too.

You think? I was born in Kansas City, so I'm aware of that. Fans want to travel. We were in San Francisco last week, and there were a lot of Chargers fans there. I think fans just travel more now. There were a good amount of Chiefs fans there, but it was plenty loud when the Chargers had the ball or had success, too. Eric, you talked about the schedule.

Just have about 60 seconds here. Moving forward, they've got the Cardinals and Raiders both on the road. Then, actually, they come back in mid-December with Dolphins and Titans, two teams that are also fighting for the playoffs.

Just a quick note about this next month. How critical for the Chargers? Very, very. The two-game stretch they just played, Niners and Chiefs, is probably the toughest two-game stretch we've had in the season. Did we win any?

No. We lost both games by a combined nine points. Like I said, five and five. But if we win the next two, which isn't going to be easy on the road, but possible given the opponents and the Raiders. The Chargers have already beaten the Raiders once this year. If they can get to seven and five, that sets up a massive two-game stretch at home against two playoff contenders, two division leaders in the AFC, and then we'll really know what the Chargers are made of. It's going to be fascinating. We have a starting Sunday in Arizona. That's probably got to be a win. Definitely is part of the building process, and Brandon Staley's got them on the right track.

They just need a couple of those confidence-building victories. You can find Eric on Twitter, at Eric underscore L underscore Smith, and he covers the team, the Chargers, for their website, Chargers.com. Great to catch a couple minutes with you. Happy Thanksgiving, Eric. Thank you, Amy.

Thanks for having me. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat.

Visit BetterHelp dot com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat.

Visit BetterHelp dot com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat. Visit BetterHelp dot com slash positive and save 10% on your first month.