The Kansas City Chiefs edged out another close victory on Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers, with a walk-off field goal from Kicker Matthew Wright to ice it. The Chiefs moved to 12-1 on the season after their 19-17 victory over their divisional rival. This win also allowed Kansas City to clinch their ninth consecutive AFC West title.
This milestone from the Chiefs not only continues to showcase their dominance in their division but also helps them move closer to accomplishing some history. The Kansas City Chiefs are now only second to the New England Patriots’ 11-year streak under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady for the most consecutive divisional titles in NFL history. With Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid at the helm for Kansas City they remain on track for accomplishing their ultimate goal of another Super Bowl run while continuing to assert themselves as one of the NFL’s most consistent franchises.
Chiefs vs. Chargers First Quarter Defensive Battle
Kansas City opened this game focusing on their ground game. Isiah Pacheco helped move the chains early, but the Kansas City Chiefs offense stalled near midfield. However, Wright was able to convert on a field goal, giving Kansas City an early 3-0 lead. Defensively for the Chiefs, Tershawn Wharton and Leo Chenal anchored their early efforts and were able to apply enough pressure on Chargers Quarterback Justin Herbert, forcing a punt.
In the opening quarter playing the field position game was critical. Both defenses make it hard on the other’s opposing offense. The Chiefs’ defense continued to stand firm, despite the Chargers managing to move down the field. Trent McDuffie continued coming up with timely pass breaks ups halting the Chargers’ chances of the big plays down the field.
Despite the Chargers finding moments of success in the opening quarter with chunk plays from both Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer due to penalties by Los Angeles and the Chiefs’ swarming defense, they kept the Chargers off the scoreboard in the opening quarter.
Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Adjustments Pay Off
In the second quarter, the Kansas City Chiefs offense managed to find their rhythm starting with Mahomes connecting with Juju Smith-Schuster for a 26-yard conversion which ended in another field goal for Kansas City, extending their lead 6-0.
On the other side of the field, the Chargers offense struggled to capitalize on their opportunities. Kansas City’s defense forced a quick three-and-out. Offensively, Mahomes and the rest of the offense got right back to work and executed their two-minute drill late in the half, utilizing Travis Kelce and Noah Gray. DeAndre Hopkins capped off the drive with a touchdown, sending the Chiefs into halftime with a 13-0 lead.
Coming out of halftime, the Chargers finally showed some life offensively and managed to score on back-to-back offensive series taking the lead at 14-13 to close out the third quarter.
Chiefs Fourth Quarter Heroics
Entering the fourth, the Kansas City Chiefs down by one point turned to Mahomes for answers. Kansas City managed to drive down the field once again and once again had to settle for a field goal. However, as was the trend of the game, their defense managed to only give up the same thing so in the final minutes the Chiefs trailed by one.
With under two minutes remaining, Mahomes led the Chiefs on a game-winning drive. Mahomes spread the ball around on this drive, but it was primarily in Pacheco’s hands as he got his head down and continued to make the chance marching Kansas City into field-goal range. Wright, who had been reliable all night, with the clock expiring had his most uninspiring kick of the day. From 31 yards, he hit the left upright and the ball snuck its way in securing the Chiefs’ 19-17 victory and the division title.
Final Thoughts
Kansas City once again managed to get the job done. Not pretty, but just good enough for the win. The Kansas City Chiefs have just become the standard for winning close games, week after week, year after year. This is just what this team does and this game is just the latest example.
As the Kansas City Chiefs continue their march toward a potential three-peat, they’ve proven once again why they are the class of the AFC West. With four games left in the regular season, Kansas City is well-positioned to secure the AFC’s top seed and continue its pursuit of history.
