On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated former kick returner Dante Hall’s Ring of Honor induction by crushing the Los Angeles Chargers 31-17. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished with his tenth 400-yard game and improved to 29-2 against division opponents.
Kansas City had an opportunity to get their offense back on track against the second-worst defense that has averaged 389 yards per game allowed, and that is precisely what they did. The Chiefs racked up 484 yards offensively and scored four touchdowns to defeat L.A.
Kansas City’s defense also locked down after allowing quarterback Justin Herbert to throw two touchdown passes in the second quarter. The Chiefs held the Chargers out of the end zone for the second half.
After deadlocked the game with one field goal apiece, both offenses flexed their muscles in the second quarter. Kansas City opened the scoring brigade by finishing a 75-yard drive with a 46-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
The Chargers responded by traveling to midfield and tying the game with a 49-yard Justin Herbert touchdown pass to running back Joshua Kelley, capping off an 85-yard possession. They tied the game up at ten, but Kansas City quickly retook the lead on their ensuing drive.
Following a three-yard run by running back Isiah Pacheco, Mahomes connected with tight end Travis Kelce on 2nd and 7 with 10:09 in the first half for a 13-yard gain. On the next play, Mahomes went deep and found Kelce again for a 49-yard gain within six yards from the end zone.
Kansas City capped off the drive with a six-yard pass to Rashee Rice for the touchdown to go back up by a score. However, Herbert and the Chargers offense immediately tied the game back up after Herbert connected with tight end Gerald Everett on 3rd and 7 for a seven-yard touchdown.
On their next drive, Kansas City began to march up the field with a 15-yard completion from Mahomes to Kelce on 1st and 10 with 7:06 left in the first half. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire took a handoff on the next play but was stuffed for a two-yard loss. Two plays later, on 3rd and 12 from his 39-yard line, Mahomes threw deep for wide receiver Mecole Hardman, but defensive back Asante Samuel Jr. intercepted the pass at the Chargers’ 21-yard line.
After forcing Los Angeles to punt after seven plays, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense got the ball back with 2:48 left in the first half. Backed up on his four-yard line, Mahomes fired a pass for Rashee Rice that the rookie took up to the 41-yard line. On the next play, Mahomes hooked up with Kelce again for 15 yards. Two plays later, Mahomes connected a 28-yard pass to Valdes-Scantling to advance to the Chargers’ 11. However, an offensive pass interference foul on rookie Justyn Ross in the end zone backed the Chiefs up ten yards to the Chargers’ 21.
Two plays later, Mahomes looked deep for Kelce in the end zone on 2nd and 23 but was interfered with, leading to Los Angeles getting called for the foul that moved the Chiefs up to the one-yard line. Kansas City scored on the next play as Mahomes completed a one-yard throw to Kelce at the goal line for the touchdown.
Kansas City entered the locker room at the half with a 24-17 lead.
Before defenses locked down the second half, starting with consecutive takeaways in the third quarter, Los Angeles ended Kansas City’s ten-play, 56-yard drive when linebacker Eric Kendricks ripped the ball out of Blake Bell’s hand to force a fumble at the Chargers’ 26-yard line and gave the ball back to Herbert and the Bolts’ offense.
However, after traveling 73 yards inside the Chiefs’ 10, Herbert’s pass for tight end Donald Parham Jr. was intercepted by cornerback L’Jarius Sneed at the six. However, the Chiefs were forced to punt after ten plays.
Both teams traded possessions, with neither reaching the end zone on the first five drives in the fourth quarter. However, Kansas City finally got rolling again with 6:16 left in the game.
Mahomes connected with Rice for a 12-yard completion to convert 2nd and 5. Four plays later, Mahomes tosses a screen pass to Pacheco, who races eight yards upfield for the touchdown to pad the lead.
Down by two scores, the Chargers stumbled up to midfield in eleven plays before Kenny Cook sealed the game for Kansas City by intercepting Herbert’s pass for Keenan Allen with 1:07 left in the fourth. Mahomes lined up his offense in victory formation to drain the time remaining to exit Week 7 with a 31-17 victory over Los Angeles.
Kansas City improves to 6-1 on the season and comfortably leads in the AFC West Standings.
