KANSAS CITY, MO. -- Under scrutiny for his uneven play the second half of the season, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith turned to his legs to help move the offense.

Last week against the Oakland Raiders, Smith ran for 24 yards on five carries, including a long of 16 yards in a 26-15 win.

In his past six games against the Chargers -- all wins -- Smith has averaged five rushes for 23 yards and added two rushing touchdowns.

While not a lot, a scramble for five yards here or a called run for six yards there during the course of the game helps move the chains and keeps the offense on schedule.

The Chiefs will use Smith on zone-read concepts to keep opposing defenses honest. But he’s also good at escaping the pocket on critical third downs and scrambling for a few extra yards to move the chains.

As they did against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, the Chargers could use a spy in the middle of the field to help contain Smith. Whatever they chose to do, the Bolts have to keep Smith from making big plays with his feet as a runner.

“There’s so many weapons,” Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “I think they do an outstanding job of utilizing their personnel. [Tyreek] Hill might get in on a jet sweep. He might be in the backfield. They might send him deep.

“[Travis] Kelce might be playing the quarterback position. It provides a great challenge for you because of all the different positions these guys play and how they try to utilize their talent. It is going to force us to be disciplined in what we do -- but not robotic. One of our prime things is, we’ve got to play fast. We can’t let all those different things they do slow us down.”

Here are five things to watch for as the Chargers take on the Chiefs:

Take care of the football: Philip Rivers was intercepted three times in a Week 3 loss against the Chiefs. He has just four interceptions in his other 12 games played this season. According to ESPN Stats & Information, all three of the interceptions came on passes thrown outside the field numbers. Rivers has thrown eight touchdowns and no interceptions in his last four games (all wins), so he has to keep taking care of the football.

Slow down explosive KC offense: The Chiefs do a good job creating explosive plays out of Zebra personnel (3 WR, 1 RB, 1 TE). The Chiefs average a league-best 8.23 yards per pass play out of three-receiver sets. Since Week 5, the Chargers are allowing 4.93 yards a play against three-wide sets, ranking No. 5 in the NFL. The Chargers' dime package (six defensive backs) vs. Kansas City’s that package is a matchup to watch.

Find your playmakers: The Bolts will have to deal with the loud environment at Arrowhead Stadium in a nationally televised Saturday night game, but Rivers has been there before and will have his teammates ready to deal with the environment. Rivers, Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry face a Kansas City secondary that’s giving up 249 passing yards a contest, which is fifth-worst in the NFL. So the Chargers should move the football through the air.

Stop Kareem Hunt: Hunt finished with 172 rushing yards, including a 69-yard jaunt for a score, in a Week 3 win over the Chargers earlier this year. The Chargers had been awful against the run this season until starting middle linebacker Denzel Perryman returned to the lineup after rehabbing from ankle surgery in August. Before Perryman returned, the Chargers were allowing a league-worst 135 rushing yards a contest. However, since Perryman returned to the lineup in Week 10, the Chargers are allowing 108 rushing yards a contest, good for No. 16 in the NFL. The Chargers have to keep Hunt from getting going early on.

Run your stuff, win the game: The Chargers do not need a Herculean effort to beat the Chiefs. If they just execute, play to their potential and limited mistakes, the Bolts should come away with a victory. Players, including Rivers, have to make sure to play assignment-correct football and not try to do too much.