INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Thursday night’s showdown between the Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers had it all.
Squandered opportunities? Indeed, as the Chiefs couldn’t do anything with Chargers’ turnovers and the Chargers sure love going it for it on fourth down and not converting.
One of the teams, however, had to win the back-and-forth game with the AFC West and postseason implications on the line.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made sure it was his team, throwing for 410 yards and three touchdown to lead the Chiefs to a 34-28 win in overtime.
The Chiefs had an opportunity to blow it open early. They got on the board first with what has become a customary efficient offensive drive, going 95 yards on 11 plays, which featured fullback Michael Burton gaining 20 on a screen pass. Burton capped off the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run.
The Chiefs were up 10-0 before the Chargers took a 14-10 lead behind quarterback Justin Herbert’s 1-yard touchdown run and 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jalen Guyton in the second quarter.
The two teams then took their best shots at each other, trading touchdowns twice, in the fourth quarter before heading to overtime.
Mahomes made sure to not give the Chargers a chance at scoring, taking the Chiefs the distance on the first possession of overtime after connecting with tight end Travis Kelce for a 34-yard touchdown.
The Chiefs are now 10-4 and hold a two-game lead over the Chargers in the AFC West.
MAHOMES VS. HERBERT
Forget Mahomes vs. Josh Allen or Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson as the marquee AFC quarterback showdown.
The battle to watch will happen twice in the same division for the foreseeable future.
Everyone knows Mahomes is special, and he has the MVP hardware to show it. But Herbert will be a problem for the Chiefs for as long as he’s in a Chargers uniform.
Thursday night marked Herbert’s fourth career game against Kansas City, and he has thrown for 1,130 and totaled 13 touchdowns (10 passing, three rushing) with one interception.
Are you not entertained?
MAGNIFICENT DUO
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill needed to adjust this season to how defenses were playing the Chiefs’ offense in 2021. As such, the big plays down the field this season have been missing and he hasn’t exploded with consistent chunk gains.
Until Thursday night.
Hill gashed the Chargers with 12 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown. Hill also hauled in a 40-yard catch, and produced his first 100-yard receiving campaign since Week 6.
Tight end Travis Kelce got in the act with how own extraordinary game, tallying 10 catches for 191 yards, including a 69-yard gain.
Kelce averaged 19.1 yards per catch, while Hill posted 12.3 yards per reception.
ROOKIE LB SHINES
The Chiefs have themselves a good one in rookie linebacker Nick Bolton.
Bolton, who entered the game leading the Chiefs defense in tackles (88), was all over the field Thursday night and continues to show why he must be on the field.
He tallied a team-high 14 stops, a quarterback hit and three passes defensed, which included a tipped pass resulting in Anthony Hitchens’ interception.
Willie Gay Jr. didn’t play Thursday night because he’s on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but the Chiefs’ linebacker corps didn’t suffer with Bolton pacing the position group.
FIRST-AND-GOAL NO GOOD
Perhaps a glitch in the Matrix, but the Chiefs forced the Chargers to suffer déjà vu in the first half.
Los Angeles’ drive featured a first-and-goal at the Chiefs’ 5-yard line, but two dropped passes led to the Chargers turning it over on downs.
Then, the Chargers had another first-and-goal at the Chiefs’ 5-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the first half. But a dropped pass, two stuffed runs and a pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage by Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen on fourth down led to another stuff as time expired in the half.
Blown opportunities for the Chargers, but the Chiefs defense stood their ground and won.
Chargers head coach Brandon Staley went for it on fourth down xx times in the game, converting twice.
ROSTER SHUFFLING
Thursday night saw multiple adjustments to the roster. Some were made because of missing personnel, while one move saw a player return to the starting lineup.
After missing time because of an injury to his ribs, rookie Lucas Niang reassumed his role as the starting right tackle. Andrew Wylie, who started the previous four games in Niang’s place, returned to a backup role.
Mike Hughes started at right cornerback in L’Jarius Sneed’s place for a second straight game. Hughes, though, didn’t light up the box score like he did last weekend and finished with xx. A healthier Rashad Fenton also allowed the Chiefs to keep Tyrann Mathieu at his customary safety spot and not play nickel, which Fenton manned.
The final two modifications were out of necessity because defensive lineman Chris Jones and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. remained on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Derrick Nnadi filled in for Jones, while Ben Niemann lined up alongside Anthony Hitchens and rookie Nick Bolton in the team’s 4-3 base alignment.
Jones’ absence in the middle of the defensive line was felt the most. The Chargers ripped off chunks of yards rushing in the first half, totaling 103 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries before finishing with 192 yards on 39 carries.
INJURIES
None of note.
INACTIVES
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, offensive lineman Kyle Long, offensive lineman Prince Tega Wanagho, rookie quarterback Shane Buechele and rookie safety Zayne Anderson were not dressed.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs return home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 action at Arrowhead Stadium.
