The Los Angeles Chargers dominated this game from start to finish. Quarterback Justin Herbert was exceptional, and the Chiefs’ defense had no answers for his arm or his legs. With the 27-21 loss, Kansas City has reasons to worry about its defense and the absence of wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
This game eerily resembled the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss. The Los Angeles Chargers abandoned their run game and exploited a disastrous performance by the Chiefs’ secondary. They were sharp from the start and played every snap like it was fourth down.
Kansas City had a chance to get the ball back down six late in the fourth quarter, but Chris Jones made an inside move, and Mike Danna didn’t fill the outside, allowing Herbert to run for the game-clinching 19-yard run.
On the night, the Chargers’ offense was nearly perfect, with Herbert passing to nine different receivers and throwing three touchdowns; he was almost unstoppable.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ secondary, especially their safeties, were slow to react to the ball. Additionally, Steve Spagnuolo kept playing zone, which cost his team possessions. He adopted a conservative approach to every third and long situation he faced in the second half and trusted his prevent defensive scheme to stop drives.
It didn’t succeed.
Patrick Mahomes had a solid game, but losing Xavier Worthy to a shoulder separation probably means he’ll miss two to six games. The good news is that by the time Rashee Rice returns, Worthy should be ready to go in October.
Mahomes did his best, but penalties and a big dropped pass in the first quarter meant the Chiefs were playing from behind all night. Head Coach Andy Reid has some big decisions to make about how to run his offense without Worthy.
Tyquan Thornton made a big catch in the game, and he can use some of his speed, but they aren’t the same player. Hollywood Brown had a big game with 10 catches for 99 yards, including a 49-yard catch on fourth down.
On a positive note, the offensive line played well overall except for right tackle Jawaan Taylor. He kept committing penalties, costing his team yardage and time on the clock. Things got so frustrating for Taylor that Travis Kelce, who scored a fourth-quarter touchdown, shoved his helmet into Taylor’s face mask, showing his anger over his continued lack of focus.
This game had several issues that can be overcome for Kansas City, and one loss to open the season isn’t going to end the Chiefs’ postseason chances.
More concerning, though, the Chiefs came out flat on offense and were unprepared to stop the Chargers’ passing attack defensively.
Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo are experts at changing the game plan from one half to the next, but against the Chargers, they couldn’t get their message across. This was a team effort that was lost, and now, with the Philadelphia Eagles heading to Arrowhead next Sunday, this is a must-win for the Chiefs.
If they can shake off this performance against the Chargers and bounce back next week, this game means very little in the overall season. If not, well, let’s not go there just yet.
