Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna picked up a calf injury during practice on Wednesday, September 25. The injury forced him out of practice on Thursday and made him a limited participant in practice on Friday. The injury is apparently bad enough that the Chiefs listed him as out for Sunday’s outing against the Los Angeles Chargers.
With Danna — who is second among Chiefs edge rushers in snaps this season — out of the lineup, second-year edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah — a 2023 first-round pick — will likely see an increased workload, as well as Cam Thomas, who has yet to play in a game for the Chiefs since being traded to the team in late August.
Danna not being in the lineup will impact Kansas City’s ability to generate a pass rush in Week 4. However, the Chargers will likely be without starting offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, who were both listed as DNPs on Wednesday and Thursday and are projected to not suit up against the two-time defending Super Bowl champions on Sunday. So, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will likely dial up some blitzes early in the game to test Los Angeles’ backup offensive tackles.
Spags Discusses Chargers Offense Ahead of
Speaking to the media on September 26, Spags was asked about his thoughts on Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins and the new-look Los Angeles offense that has emphasized the run game under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.
“[J.K. Dobbins] pretty positive effect, right? Listen, I have a lot of respect for [Chargers head coach] Jim [Harbaugh] and [offensive coordinator] Greg [Roman], [I’ve] known both of them for a long time,” Spags said during his press conference. “[I] kind of have a feel for, I think, what they want to do and become and you can see that they’re doing that, especially early.
“I know they’ve had a rash of injuries. We’re not going to overlook anything,” Spags continued. “I think Jim has a way of getting his team ready to play in any situation. The running backs, I mean both of them (Dobbins and Gus Edwards) really fit what they do. They feel like they — that’s the identity of their team now, right? Yet, they have a quarterback (Justin Herbert), and we’ll see where the health is and all that, but they have a quarterback that, I think, is one of the best throwers in the league so it’s a pretty good combination for them. We’ll see who they put out there but to us, it doesn’t matter, really. We’re going to defend the scheme and try to play our best football.”
Users on X — formerly Twitter — chatted about the Chiefs and Chargers ahead of Sunday’s matchup.
“Chiefs at Chargers will be a test of strength on strength,” Chris Clark of Locked on Chiefs wrote. “Chiefs have been fantastic getting YAC after the catch and have excelled mostly in the short passing game. The Chargers are allowing just 4.9 yards per attempt on short yardage targets the third fewest in the NFL. They are also only allowing 4.6 yards of YAC on short yardage throws 5th in the league according to Next Gen Stats.”
“The Chiefs are 3-0 but they haven’t been dominant. Chargers can beat them this week and I expect them to do just that,” another person wrote.
