(My Sportsbook) - The Kansas City Chiefs won't have to search hard for incentives when they visit the San Diego Chargers on Sunday night, as the AFC Wild Card hopefuls will seek to honor owner Lamar Hunt in the first game since their venerable patriarch passed away on Wednesday.

Hunt, long renowned as one of the pioneers of the modern version of the NFL, died earlier in the week at age 74 from complications of prostate cancer. He left behind one of the most stable and admired organizations in the league, one that, as usual, finds itself in the postseason hunt this season.

Kansas City's playoff hopes have taken a hit in recent weeks, as a team that had put itself in prime position during a 6-2 run has lost back-to-back games to the Browns (31-28 in overtime) and Ravens (20-10). Last week's setback to Baltimore was the team's first home loss in December since the 1996 season. The Chiefs began Week 15 a game back of the 8-5 Jaguars and Bengals in their quest for a postseason slot.

San Diego, meanwhile, finds itself in better shape heading into Sunday night's contest. The Chargers wrapped up their second AFC West title in three years with last week's 48-20 dismantling of the Broncos, a game that saw running back LaDainian Tomlinson set a single-season NFL record by scoring his 29th touchdown.

In addition to his individual success, Tomlinson also helped the Bolts seize control of the top spot in the AFC, benefiting from a loss by the Colts to take the inside track on homefield advantage throughout the conference portion of the playoffs.

The 11-2 Chargers have won seven straight since suffering their most recent defeat, at Kansas City in Week 7.

SERIES HISTORY

Kansas City holds a 49-42-1 lead in a series with San Diego that dates back to 1960, when the Chiefs franchise was known as the Dallas Texans and the Chargers resided in Los Angeles. The Chiefs were 30-27 winners when the teams met at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 7, the fourth straight game in the series that has been won by the home team. Kansas City is 0-2 in San Diego since last winning there in 2003.

In addition to their regular season history, the teams have met once in the postseason, with the Chargers scoring a 17-0 home victory over current San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer's Chiefs in a 1992 AFC First-Round Playoff.

Schottenheimer is 6-6 against the team that he coached from 1989 through 1998, including 4-6 since leaving the franchise. Kansas City's Herm Edwards is 4-1 in his career against both Schottenheimer and the Chargers, including 3-1 while with the Jets (2001-05). One of Edwards' wins was a 20-17 overtime triumph in a 2004 AFC First-Round Playoff from Qualcomm.

CHIEFS OFFENSE VS. CHARGERS DEFENSE

Kansas City isn't likely to make much of a secret of its offensive approach on Sunday night, which will be to hand the ball to running back and resident workhorse Larry Johnson (1432 rushing yards, 33 receptions, 15 TD). Johnson began Week 15 as the NFL's leading rusher, though his yardage total was surpassed by the 49ers' Frank Gore (1491 yards) on Thursday night in Seattle. The Penn State product has the most carries in the NFL (333) by a wide margin, and is within striking distance of the league single-season record of 410, held by Atlanta's Jamal Anderson (1998). Johnson has gone over 100 yards in seven of his last eight games, a streak that started with his 28-carry, 132- yard, two-touchdown effort against San Diego in Week 7. In the two Chiefs/Chargers games in which they've both started, Johnson has outgained Tomlinson, 263-113. Michael Bennett (189 rushing yards, 9 receptions) has been an occasional change-of-pace for the Kansas City running game.

Despite their reputation as a premier run-stopping group, there is some mileage to be gained against a San Diego defense that is seventh in NFL rushing defense (97.8) but ranks further down the chart with 4.1 yards allowed per carry. Last week, Broncos running backs Tatum Bell and Mike Bell combined for 162 yards on 27 combined carries against San Diego (six yards per rush). The Chargers' three-man front of nose tackle Jamal Williams (52 tackles, 2 sacks) and ends Luis Castillo (34 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 INT) and Igor Olshansky (20 tackles, 1.5 sacks) is excellent when healthy, and should help the team's run-stopping ability moving forward. Castillo, who is questionable with ankle problem for Sunday, led that group with five tackles and a sack last week. The Chargers will also need inside linebackers Donnie Edwards (117 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack) and Stephen Cooper (36 tackles, 2 sacks), who combined for 17 tackles and a sack last week, to help bring the lumber. Cooper subbed for most of the game in place of veteran Randall Godfrey (51 tackles, 2 sacks), who is listed as questionable for Sunday with a lingering calf injury.

In order to beat the Chargers, the Chiefs are going to need a better showing from quarterback Trent Green (828 passing yards, 5 TD, 5 INT) than the one they got last week against the Ravens. One week after a four-touchdown performance in Cleveland, Green turned the ball over three times versus Baltimore, including a pair of interceptions to safety Ed Reed. Green was 15- of-27 passing for 178 yards with a late touchdown to Dante Hall (22 receptions, 2 TD). No. 2 wideout Samie Parker (35 receptions, 1 TD) led the pass-catchers with five catches for 71 yards, but No. 1 receiver Eddie Kennison (40 receptions, 3 TD) was limited to one 13-yard reception, and tight end Tony Gonzalez (60 receptions, 5 TD) was quiet with three grabs totaling 31 yards. Back in Week 7, when Damon Huard was still taking the snaps for Kansas City, Gonzalez went for six receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs line has allowed 30 sacks on the year, including 13 of Green.

Green will be going up against a San Diego defense that leads the NFL in sacks with 48 as Week 15 begins, with outside linebacker and league defensive MVP candidate Shawne Merriman (42 tackles, 1 INT) at the heart of that effort. Despite missing four games due to a violation of the NFL's steroid policy earlier this season, Merriman is the league's co-leader with 12-and-a-half sacks. The Maryland product has four sacks and four forced fumbles in the two games since returning from his suspension. Fellow OLB Shaun Phillips (56 tackles, 10.5 sacks), who is second on the team in sacks, is listed as questionable for this week with a hamstring problem. A secondary that was a major question mark entering this year has actually played well. San Diego is tied for 11th in the league in passing yardage allowed (196.5 per game), and cornerbacks Quentin Jammer (54 tackles, 4 INT) and Drayton Florence (48 tackles, 3 INT) have made more plays than expected. Safeties Marlon McCree (44 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Terrence Kiel (45 tackles), who combined for 13 tackles last week, have also been steady.

CHARGERS OFFENSE VS. CHIEFS DEFENSE

Tomlinson (1427 rushing yards, 52 receptions, 29 TD) will look to continue his assault on the record books this week. With his next touchdown, the sixth-year pro will have surpassed the single-season record of 176 points, which has stood since the Packers' Paul Hornung established it over a 12-game campaign in 1960. Tomlinson also needs just two more rushing touchdowns to break the NFL single-season record in that category, which was established by the Chiefs' Priest Holmes in 2003 and matched by Seattle's Shaun Alexander last year. L.T. comes into Sunday's test having ripped off seven straight 100-yard games, the longest streak in the NFL this season and longest of his career. Fullback Lorenzo Neal (82 rushing yard, 1 TD, 12 receptions), who has paved the way for Tomlinson all season, had three carries for 20 yards and a touchdown of his own against Denver last Sunday. Backup rusher Michael Turner (357 rushing yards, 2 TD), who has been nursing a hamstring injury, has not been active since Week 11 but is probable for Sunday.

Tomlinson will be looking for some holes in a Kansas City defense that ranks just 15th in the league against the run (110.6 yards per game), but has held the perennial Pro Bowler under 100 yards in four of his past five games against them. The Chiefs limited Tomlinson to 66 yards on 15 carries when the teams met in Week 7, though the running back did burn Kansas City for an additional 72 yards in the passing game. A generally active group of linebackers, which includes Kawika Mitchell (85 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT) in the middle and Derrick Johnson (55 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and Kendrell Bell (39 tackles, 1 sack) on the outside, will have primary responsibility in stopping Tomlinson. Johnson returned last week after missing most of the previous five weeks with an ankle injury, posting a team-high-tying seven tackles versus Baltimore. Tackles James Reed (30 tackles) and Ron Edwards (19 tackles, 2.5 sacks), who combined for five stops against the Ravens, will look to slow the San Diego running game at the point of attack.

Lost amid the Tomlinson-related hoopla last week was another strong outing for quarterback Philip Rivers (2879 passing yards, 18 TD, 6 INT), who completed an efficient 15-of-23 passes for 279 yards and a pair of touchdowns and did not throw an interception for the eighth time in 13 starts. Rivers got into an early rhythm with tight end Antonio Gates (64 receptions, 8 TD), who had seven catches for 102 yards and a two scores in his best game of 2006 to date. The wide receiving corps is banged up, with Malcolm Floyd (15 receptions, 3 TD) going on injured reserve with an ankle injury this week and No. 1 wideout Keenan McCardell (32 receptions) nursing a calf injury that has caused him to miss two of the last three games. Rivers has looked to the likes of Vincent Jackson (16 receptions, 3 TD), who had three grabs for a career-high 95 yards last week, and No. 2 wideout Eric Parker (42 receptions). Rivers could also seek to locate newly-acquired receiver Az-Zahir Hakim, who had 17 catches in six appearances with the Lions earlier this season before being cut. The San Diego line has protected well all season, with Rivers having absorbed just 22 sacks in his first year as a starter.

After playing well against the pass during most of the first half of the season, the Chiefs have slipped to 20th in NFL passing defense (212.8 yards per game) as Week 15 begins, and their 10 interceptions rank near the bottom of the league. Kansas City was burned for 283 yards on 21-of-27 passing from the Ravens' Steve McNair last week, with the fatal blow coming on an 87-yard touchdown pass from McNair to Mark Clayton in the third quarter. Cornerbacks Patrick Surtain (53 tackles, 1 INT) and Ty Law (53 tackles, 3 INT, 1 sack) will be trying to prevent a similar big play on Sunday, with Greg Wesley (52 tackles, 2 INT) and Sammy Knight (65 tackles, 1 INT) lending support from the safety slots. Wesley had seven tackles and forced a fumble by the Ravens' Ovie Mughelli last week. The pass rush has been quiet in recent weeks, as starting ends Jared Allen (66 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 1 INT) and Tamba Hali (48 tackles, 5 sacks) have both gone two games without breaking through to the quarterback.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The emotional element of this game should not be fully discounted, though the fact that the Chiefs will be playing for their late owner is not going to be enough, in and of itself, to win Kansas City the football game. San Diego doesn't have as many sentimental reasons to win on Sunday night, but the homestanding Chargers are aware that a victory could be the difference between a No. 1 seed in the AFC and a Wild Card-round playoff game the first weekend in January. What's more, San Diego has more talent than Kansas City, and will be hyped up to beat a Chiefs team that broke its collective hearts in Week 7. The Chiefs will be game, but they won't have the horses to pull out a difficult road win.

My Sportsbook Predicted Outcome: Chargers 28, Chiefs 19