The Chargers enter Week 17 with nothing to play for. With a handful of beginners who are likely to miss the end of the season, this should be a chance for some players to take on a bigger role on game day.
With that said, here are six players who can help each other with good performances against the Chiefs:
FS Nasir Adderley
The Chargers recruited Adderley in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft in hopes of pairing him with Derwin James to create a dynamic security tandem. Unfortunately, Adderley’s debut season was short-lived, as a hamstring injury kept him out for most of the season. Moving forward to this season, his second season was not just sunshine and rainbows. Adderley’s coverage skills have been weak (41.5 overall, according to Pro Football Focus) and he has suffered a handful of tackle errors. He will have the opportunity to clean up some of that at the end of the season.
RB Joshua Kelley
Despite having other positional needs going into Day 3 of the draft in 2020, Los Angeles decided to roll the dice on a running back to greet Austin Ekeler. I believed Kelley would have a great season, given his college production and the characteristics he had. The former UCLA product shone at the opening of the season, but it has been quiet ever since, averaging just 3.2 yards per transport in more than 100 attempts. Kelley, who had a great scratch last week, is expected to play on Sunday. This will be your opportunity to show that you can count on next season’s rotation.
DT Jerry Tillery
The Chargers recruited Tillery in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft, expecting him to be a dominant in-house pass. Tillery shone here and there in his debut season, but was given a pass because he did not have a full off-season to prepare for, as he was recovering from a shoulder injury. Tillery made a statement at the opening of the Year 2 season, looking like an absolute force. However, since then, he has not yet recovered. Tillery committed a series of unnecessary penalties and his presence in the backfield was hit or miss. The team experimented with him as an edge rusher, where he could have a better future, since he was not strong against the race. Can he give fans a glimpse of dominance on Sunday?
OL Sam Tevi, Dan Feeney, Forrest Lamp
All three players on the offensive line will be free agents at the end of the season. After switching from right to left, Tevi proved to be fine. It is useful, but I believe the Chargers need a left cornerstone attack. The lamp shone at first, but was inconsistent throughout the stretch, with most of its problems occurring in the pass protection. Like Lamp, Feeney was solid in the early stages of the season, but he slowly regressed. Feeney dealt with elbow and knee injuries, which could have hampered his game. Nevertheless, this will be the trio’s last chance to prove themselves.