It wasn’t pretty, but despite losing their best wide receiver to a potential season-ending knee injury, the offense stumbling through a disastrous first quarter, the defense dialed it up. Los Angeles didn’t score a single point after the first quarter. So, that’s the recipe for the Chiefs as they come away with a 17-10 road win over the Chargers on Sunday.
I will never accept the narrative that this team is fortunate to win their AFC West battle with the Los Angeles Chargers. There is no luck with the Kansas City Chiefs because they are the masters of winning one close game after another. They do it better than anyone else in the league, so they are 4-0 on the season.
This was a costly victory for the Chiefs. Rashee Rice went down with a knee injury after banging into Patrick Mahomes, who was attempting to make a tackle after an interception. The Chiefs didn’t say much post-game, but he might be done for the season.
The only hope, and it’s wishful thinking, is that once the swelling goes down, the ACL injury is a strain rather than a tear.
Either way, he won’t be available to play anytime soon, and the next man up stepped up. Rookie Wide Receiver Xavier Worthy made the big boy play, which showed why the Chiefs drafted him. Trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, Mahomes threw a 54-yard bomb that Worthy hauled in for a touchdown, changing the game’s tone.
Late in the fourth quarter, his big catch deep in Chargers territory, ironically running a Rice crossing route over the middle, gave the Chiefs a first down that sealed their victory.
Though the offense still had some challenging moments, they did find a new starting running back. Kareem Hunt was masterful at taking over for Carson Steele, who had a significant turnover in the first quarter.
However, the hero of the game was the Chiefs defense. The Chargers scored ten points in the first quarter and were shut out the rest of the way. The key in this game was the Chiefs run defense. JK Dobbins averaged just 2.3 yards per run and ended the game with 32 yards on 14 carries.
Add that stout defense to the clutch plays of the game’s best defender, Chris Jones. He was man-possessed and ended the game with two sacks and two tackles for a loss. He harassed Justin Herbert in the fourth quarter when the Chargers tried to convert a fourth-and-one near the goal line. It failed, giving the Chiefs offense the light they needed to drive the field length for the winning touchdown.
I’m not sure what this team will do next. They lost a player who is honestly the key to their entire offense. Worthy must grow up fast and become that receiver, and somehow, JuJu Smith-Schuster has to find some of his old form.
Then again, with Hunt and Samaje Perine, who had a big fourth-quarter touchdown, Kansas City has a dynamic run game, and they might need to focus on pounding the rock and becoming game managers again like they did last season.
It’s improbable the Chiefs are 4-0, considering they’ve already lost Hollywood Brown, Isiah Pacheco, and Rashee Rice, who were three integral parts of the offense. So, the margin for error going forward is slimming by the week.
Again, Mahomes was sluggish, and after the game, he lamented the interception that injured his top receiver. Injuries are never predictable and can happen on every snap.
Thankfully, they are well coached by Andy Reid and the Defensive Coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, who was masterful on Sunday calling plays.
The Chiefs have a two-game lead over the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Raiders. Next week, they host the 2-2 New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football before their bye week.
Between now and then, they’ll need to regroup and take a deep dive into fixing their offensive mistakes. Luckily, Mahomes, despite some struggles, made some huge plays when his team needed him most.
I’d prefer he does that in the first quarter going forward.
