The Kansas City Chiefs’ ill-fated season effectively came to a close today as they lost yet another one-score game, this time to the Los Angeles Chargers, 16-13, and the Chiefs also lost quarterback Patrick Mahomes to what appeared to be a serious knee injury late in the fourth quarter.
The loss eliminated Kansas City from the playoffs as they dropped to 6-8 on the season, and it appeared Mahomes will be out for a serious stretch of time.
The Chiefs actually had control of this game in the first half. They scored first on an 11-play, 68-yard touchdown drive as Mahomes ran it in from 12 yards out, despite the fact that his knee was obviously nowhere near 100 percent.
The Chargers countered with a drive and a Cameron Dicker field goal from 49 yards to make it 7-3, but a subsequent interception of quarterback Justin Herbert by Chiefs defensive end Ashton Gillotte gave Kansas City the ball deep in Chargers territory with an opportunity to take a commanding lead. The Chiefs couldn’t push it across the goal line, though, and they had to settle for a chip-shot field goal from 27 yards out by kicker Harrison Butker.
Another Butker field goal for 47 yards out gave the Chiefs what would turn out to be their final points of the day as they took a 13-3 lead. But the Kansas City defense fell apart just before halftime, allowing a five-play, 60-yard drive by the Chargers as Herbert hit KeAndre Lambert Smith to make it 13-10 at halftime.
The Chargers took control of the game in the second half as the game turned into a defensive battle. Dicker tied the game at 13 with a chip-shot field goal of his own from 23 yards out midway through the third quarter, and late in the quarter he provided what would turn out to be the winning margin from 49 yards out.
It was another frustrating day for the Chiefs offense. The Chiefs had no running game to speak of, gaining just 49 yards on the ground for the day, with Mahomes himself having 15 of those. The quarterback ended up with 189 yards passing as he went 16-for-28 with no touchdown passes and an interception. Mahomes was also sacked five times for 21 yards behind a makeshift offensive line that’s been battered by injuries throughout the season.
The key segment of the game happened late with the Chiefs driving and on the edge of field goal range. A Mahomes scramble ended near the sidelines with a brutal tackle by Chargers defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand on an incompletion that seemed to badly hyperextend his left knee, and after an evaluation in the medical tent he needed help just walking back to the Chiefs locker room.
Backup quarterback Gardner MInshew took over with a chance to tie or win the game, but what followed instead was inept chaos in the final 30 seconds. Minshew did manage to complete 3-of-5 passes for a first down, but he had trouble just getting the offense organized before he threw a bad interception to safety Derwin James to end the game.
Herbert finished with 210 yards as he went 19-for-29 with a sack and an interception, but this game was mostly about the Chiefs’ ongoing failures as their season came to a close. The Chargers went to 10-4 on the year, and they’ll look to challenge the Denver Broncos for the AFC West title as the season winds down.