Travis Kelce and Chiefs given huge help from NFL ahead of Chargers game

The AFC West is not as strong as it used to be, which has allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to win eight straight division titles. Coming into 2024, not much was expected to change. The Denver Broncos were starting a rookie quarterback, the Las Vegas Raiders were starting a journeyman at that same position, and the Los Angeles Chargers had a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh.

While the Chiefs have gotten off to a 3-0 start, the Chargers are right behind them at 2-1. Two impressive victories were followed by a tough loss over the weekend in which quarterback Justin Herbert got injured. It’s unclear if Herbert will play against the Chiefs, but Los Angeles will certainly need him. While Herbert’s status is up in the air, we know for sure that one of the Chargers’ best players will not be playing: Derwin James .

James was handed a one-game suspension on Tuesday, for “repeat violations of the NFL’s safety rules“. The suspension comes after he made helmet-to-helmet contact with tight end Pat Freiermuth during the Chargers-Steelers game.

Fans believe NFL is helping Chiefs by suspending Derwin James

Fans couldn’t help but call out the NFL’s decision to do this right before the Chargers play the Chiefs. They also called out the league for suspending James before Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice, who ran into big legal trouble during the offseason.

eing a safety with adept coverage skills, James has frequently taken on the task of helping cover Travis Kelce throughout their matchups over the years. It hasn’t helped much, as Kelce has destroyed the Chargers defense on multiple occasions since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starter.

But being down a key defensive starter could help get Kelce’s season back on track. Kelce has only eight catches for 69 yards and no touchdowns through the first three games of the year.