Arrowhead Pride
The (6-7) Kansas City Chiefs arrive at their Week 15 home matchup against the (9-4) Los Angeles Chargers with zero room for error. For all practical purposes, a loss to the Chargers will make them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Even with a win, Kansas City will almost certainly have to win the season’s three remaining games — and hope that some other games will fall the right way — to get into the postseason. Can the Chiefs avoid recording their fifth loss in six games — and do it against the team that beat them 27-21 in the season opener? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Kansas City methodically moved the ball on its opening possession, leaning on short throws to Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce while Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt handled the early rushing attempts. After the drive briefly stalled on a sack by Tuli Tuipulotu, Patrick Mahomes extended the series with his legs, stepping up through the pocket and breaking free up the middle before finishing the play himself with a 12-yard scramble into the end zone to give the Chiefs an early 7–0 lead.
Los Angeles put together a methodical response by leaning on the run game and short throws to move steadily across midfield. Justin Herbert hit Keenan Allen on a quick completion to flip the field, while O.J. Hampton and Kimani Vidal combined for a series of physical runs that kept the chains moving. Kansas City briefly stalled the drive with a third-down stop inside the 30, but Cameron Dicker converted from 49 yards to get the Chargers on the board and cut the Chiefs’ lead to 7–3. Linebacker Nick Bolton was shaken up while making a tackle during the drive.
Kansas City’s next possession stalled quickly. Patrick Mahomes opened the series with a short completion to Travis Kelce, but Isiah Pacheco was dropped for a loss on the following run to put the Chiefs behind the sticks. On third down, Mahomes tried to hit Xavier Worthy on a short throw to the left, but the pass fell incomplete, and Worthy was shaken up on the play, forcing the Chiefs into a punt after a brief three-and-out.
Los Angeles started the possession backed up near its own goal line, with Vidal ripping off a seven-yard run to create some breathing room before a penalty on Nohl Williams helped move the ball further out. The Chargers continued to lean on Vidal and O.J. Hampton to set up third down as the first quarter ended.
Kansas City shut the drive down as the second began when Charles Omenihu beat his man for a sack of Justin Herbert. Linebacker Nick Bolton, who had briefly left the game earlier, was back on the field for the stop.
Kansas City failed to get anything going on the possession....
