The Chargers fought hard with the Chiefs the entire game on Monday night, but quarterback Philip Rivers and company were unable to execute on the last drive to stay alive.
Here are a few takeaways from Monday’s loss in Mexico City:
Rivers’ regressions
On a night where the defense held the league’s most deadly offense to nearly zilch which kept them close the entire game, Philip Rivers held his own offense back from keeping their playoff hopes alive.
In a series of questionable decisions and mistakes, Rivers threw a season-high four interceptions, which marks seven in the past two games. The veteran quarterback looked uncomfortable, rushed and reckless.
Outside of one interception that was caused from having his throwing arm hit, the other three were a result of poor decision-making, locking in on one receiver as opposed to going through his progressions or misreading the defense.
With a clean pocket, Rivers has tight end Hunter Henry open in the middle of the field but he looks him off and settles with running back Austin Ekeler for a three-yard gain.
Rivers, 38, has been stood up for all season by having the offensive line take the blame for his deteriorating play, but the truth is, he’s not the quarterback he once was. A quarterback throwing 14 interceptions in 11 games is certainly going to get some blame.
Can’t blame the offensive line
While the offensive line has taken a lot of shots this season for being the reason for Rivers’ poor play, don’t lay the blame for it at their collective feet on Monday night.
There was a lot of scare knowing that the Chargers were rolling with Trey Pipkins and Trent Scott as the starting tackles, facing a fearsome Chiefs front. But with a full week of practice under their belts, they fared well.
Scott looked a lot more comfortable in pass protection. Scott was the second highest graded player on the offensive side. He allowed 0 pressures on 60 pass blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, Pipkins, who got his first official professional start, was solid for the most part. Aside from a few pressures, including a sack given up to defensive end Frank Clark, he held his own. Pipkins still needs development, but he continues to show flashes.
As for the interior offensive line, they remained stout against defensive tackle Chris Jones and company, especially against the run. Running backs Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler found a lot of success running the ball inside the tackles.
Right guard Michael Schofield was the highest graded offensive player. He posted an 81.4 offensive grade with a 84.8 pass blocking grade and a 71.8 run blocking grade. Schofield allowed two pressures on 60 pass block snaps, per PFF.
Defense did their thing
The Chargers knew it wouldn’t be an easy task to keep quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company off the field, but they managed to do so in a prolific manner.
The unit held Mahomes to 182 passing yards, which was his lowest in a full game so far in his career. Mahomes had a 72.7 passer rating, which was his second-lowest mark.
Defensive ends Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa did an outstanding job against a Chiefs offensive line by generating pressure and keeping him under constant duress. Meanwhile, the defensive tackles were solid against the run, recording a handful of stops at or behind the line of scrimmage.
The line’s efforts benefited the rest of the members on the defensive side of the ball as Mahomes didn’t have much time to push the ball downfield and was forced to throw nearly everything underneath.
Outside of a woes in the third quarter, including a pair of touchdowns, the last lines of defense kept their assignments in front of them and made tackles in the open field, limiting Kansas City from having explosive plays.
