The Kansas City Chiefs swept the season series with the Los Angeles Chargers yet again this year, as the reigning Super Bowl champions defeated Jim Harbaugh's squad, 19-17, thanks to a Matthew Wright bank-shot field goal as time expired. With this victory, the Chiefs have officially clinched the AFC West for the ninth consecutive season.
The Chiefs jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first half, but the Chargers responded with 14 unanswered points in the third quarter. L.A. held a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but Patrick Mahomes led a 14-play, 47-yard drive that culminated with a 31-yard game-winning field goal from Wright.
Mahomes completed 24 of 37 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown, while Herbert completed 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown as well. It appeared early on the Chargers were missing the rookie Ladd McConkey, but Joshua Palmer stepped up in his place with 78 yards receiving on six catches.
Let's take a look at what went down in Kansas City on Sunday night.
The Déjà vu is dizzying at this point. The Chiefs pulled out yet another close victory in a game they easily could have lost. The Chargers scored more touchdowns than the Chiefs, and lost. Herbert worked to get his team the lead the last time he stepped onto the field, and lost. Maybe Kansas City doesn't look like the franchise that has won two Super Bowls in a row, but that's something that should probably give Chiefs fans hope. This team hit another gear in the postseason last year, and can do so again this season. The ability to win these close games is a legitimate skill. And I'd venture to guess no other NFL team has more experience in tight contests this year than the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sunday night felt like a microcosm of Herbert's NFL career. He plays through injury without his top receiver and even acquires a fourth-quarter lead for his team, but will undoubtedly be called a "loser." With that being said, the Chargers can't find themselves behind the eight ball like they did vs. Kansas City on Sunday night. L.A. scored zero points in the first two quarters, and it's not often the Chiefs will go and blow a 13-point lead.
Another factor that directly played into the Chargers' loss was Cameron Dicker failing to reach the landing zone on his kickoff following what L.A. hoped would be the game-winning field goal. That set up Mahomes and Co. with possession at their own 40-yard line with 4:35 remaining in the game. The Chiefs had to work harder to run time off the clock, but the crucial penalty also gave them a shorter field. You never want to do that vs. Mahomes.
Just because the Chiefs were gifted a shorter field does not mean their game-winning drive came easy. Mahomes had to convert two third downs to set up the game-winning field goal, and both were incredibly clutch.
What else could it be? "A doink for the division."
The Chargers return to L.A. next week to host Baker Mayfield and the 7-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As for the Chiefs, they will travel to Cleveland next Sunday to play the 3-10 Browns.
Matthew Wright's field goal doinks through the uprights and the Chiefs have now won the AFC West for the ninth consecutive season. They remain the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They are also now 10-0 in one-score games this season.
The Chargers are now 8-5 and in a dead-heat race with the Ravens and Broncos for the 5-6-7 seeds in the conference.
Once again, in the spot where the Chiefs absolutely needed one more play, Patrick Mahomes made one more play. What a move to escape pressure and buy enough time to find Kelce. The Chiefs can now run the clock down and kick the game-winning field goal as time expires.
L.A. got all the way into the red zone and looked like it might be able to punch the ball into the end zone but a sack from Tershawn Wharton knocked the Chargers back. They ran a give-up draw on third-and-long to give Cameron Dicker an easier field goal attempt, which he nailed to make it a 17-16 game. Chiefs have 4:35 to drive for a game-winning score.
Hell of a drive from Herbert right here. He's been excellent this entire second half.
Mahomes tried to fire a strike in to Hopkins up the left sideline and Cam Hart just absolutely clocked Hopkins while he was in the air to knock the ball out of his hands. Perfect pass and nearly a completion but a great play from the rookie DB broke it up.
Alas, the Chiefs took the lead on the next snap anyway, with Wright nailing his third field goal of the evening. It's 16-14 with just over 13 minutes left to play.
What a huge play by Samaje Perine, breaking a pair of tackles at the first-down marker on that checkdown from Mahomes. The Chiefs badly needed to pick up a first down and get some rhythm on this drive.
Quentin Johnston has made a few really big plays tonight. He's got his seventh score of the year here to put his team in the lead for the first time tonight. What a turn of events in just a few minutes.
The Chargers were all over Kansas City's third-and-short play on that last drive. Now they have a chance to take a lead with their second drive of the half.
13 plays, 79 yards for the Chargers and Edwards plows into the end zone from a few yards out. Easily the best drive of the night for L.A. Pressure on the Chiefs now to make it a two-score game again.
Huge fourth-down pickup from Justin Herbert to Josh Palmer to extend this Chargers drive to open the half. They really needed that, and may finally be able to come away with points here.
First downs: LAC 6 KC 13
Total yards: LAC 127 KC 187
Third downs: LAC 3-8 KC 3-8
Penalties: LAC 5-45 KC 3-24
Justin Herbert: 10/18 97 yards
Patrick Mahomes: 18/25 153 yards 1 TD
Gus Edwards 4 carries 6 yards
Kimani Vidal 1 carry 7 yards
Isiah Pacheco 6 carries 19 yards
Kareem Hunt 2 carries 11 yards
Josh Palmer 2 catches 41 yards
Quentin Johnston 3 catches 24 yards
DeAndre Hopkins 4 catches 32 yards 1 TD
Travis Kelce 3 catches 29 yards
Xavier Worthy 4 catches 27 yards
Kansas City has taken control of the game now. A four-minute drive at the end of the first half concluded with Hopkins finding the end zone from 9 yards out to put the Chiefs up 13-0. Not much time left (47 seconds) for L.A. to mount a drive before the half, but the Chargers do get the ball to begin the third quarter.
Herbert is back on the bench with his helmet, which is a good sign.
OUTRAGEOUS out-of-structure throw by Herbert to Quentin Johnston gets erased by a holding penalty. And Herbert got cracked in the ribs by Nick Bolton on the play and apparently landed awkwardly. He's still down on the ground and trainers are examining his left leg. Taylor Heinicke is the backup.
The third-and-2 deep ball to DeAndre Hopkins may have been uncatchable and therefore negated a pass interference penalty, but Hopkins was definitely held before the ball was in the air. Chiefs should've have a free first down. Again, the Chargers need to take advantage and put some points on the board.
The Chiefs again drove deep into Chargers territory, and again stalled out and settled for a field goal. Oh, and then the Chargers punted again. Who could have seen that coming?
Oh look, another punt. (This time after Herbert overthrew a wide-open Josh Palmer for what would have been a long touchdown.)
Kansas City got a first down on a classic Patrick Mahomes scramble, but again quickly went three-and-out after that. Another sack on Mahomes ended the drive. Chargers need to start capitalizing on the opportunities the Chiefs are giving them to take control of the game.
Both Chargers drives have crossed the 50-yard line, and both have ended in punts. These Chiefs aren't the Chiefs we're used to given the state of their offense this year, but you really don't want to be coming up empty multiple times against Patrick Mahomes and Co.
It took Kansas City just three plays to get back to the spot from where the Chargers punted, but L.A. then forced back-to-back incomplete passes with heavy pressure on Mahomes to force a punt. Matt Araiza landed his punt at the 1-yard line to pin the Chargers deep in their own territory.
The Chargers might regret not giving Cameron Dicker a chance to kick a 56-yard field goal. They only gained 23 yards of field position on that punt. Now the Chiefs have a chance to take an early two-score lead.
Kansas City's defensive front whupped the Chargers offensive line on the first two snaps of the game, but Justin Herbert stepped up in the pocket on third down and absolutely lasered a ball to Quentin Johnston over the middle. Johnston hung onto the ball while getting drilled and earned a 15-yard penalty on top of the 20-yard grab.
The Chiefs quickly and efficiently moved down the field and into Chargers territory, but things didn't go well from just outside the red zone. A first-down pass was just too far upfield for Travis Kelce, a second-down pass was dropped by the sixth-string tight end and Patrick Mahomes was sacked on third down. Matthew Wright's 47-yard kick makes it 3-0.
The Chargers have allowed 4.6 yards per carry this year and Kansas City apparently came out determined to test that run defense early on. The Chiefs started the game with three consecutive Isaiah Pacheco runs to pick up a new set of downs.
LT Kingsley Suamataia is among those out tonight for K.C. D.J. Humphries will reportedly get the start on Patrick Mahomes' blind side.
L.A. will be without Ladd McConkey tonight so Justin Herbert's pass-catching corps will be depleted against Kansas City's defense.
