Chargers vs Chiefs in scoring, takeaway: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs over Chargers; Justin Herbert injured

There’s been a lot of talk about who can overtake the Kansas City Chiefs in the all-new AFC West. The other three teams in the division made a lot of additions to their lineups in the offseason, but two weeks later, the Chiefs are still the best division kings in football. Patrick Mahomes and Co. defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 27-24 on Thursday night.

Both Mahomes and Justin Herbert started slowly but eventually found their rhythm. Mahomes built on his impressive first-week performance, completing 24 of 35 passes for 235 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Herbert, on the other hand, completed 33 of 48 passes for 334 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Mike Williams contributed greatly to the inactive Keenan Allen, who caught eight passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Ultimately, that’s not enough.

The Chiefs made an interesting decision, opening the fourth quarter with a field goal from the Chargers’ 1-yard line to tie the game at 17. Fans didn’t question the decision for long as rookie Jaylen Watson knocked Herbert down at the 1-yard line on the next tee and returned the ball 99 yards on the other side, the Chiefs’ first in the game. lead.

Herbert suffered a chest/rib injury that knocked him out while trying to schedule a comeback. When he came back, he didn’t look comfortable at all.He still led nine 73-yard drives, culminating in a touchdown pass for Josh Palmer’s fourth goal, but Los Angeles couldn’t recover offside

why the Chiefs won

The Chiefs didn’t start out strong, but managed to never fall too far behind even when they struggled. The Chargers looked like they should have had more of a lead in the first half, but they did well. Momentum changed in the second half, with the Chiefs going from a 14-7 deficit to a 27-14 lead with 20 points unanswered.

The Chiefs got lucky with some of the Chargers’ close-range interceptions, especially from Asante Samuel Jr., which didn’t lead to the takeaway. They also almost had a turnover on the goal line, with the ball coming out of Travis Kelce’s hands after Devin James’ body slammed, but he was ruled out by contact.

If any of those near misses ended up being an actual one for the Chiefs, that could be a different story.

When it comes to mistakes, what ultimately makes the difference is mistakes. The Chargers were knocking on the door in the opening zone, but the Chiefs’ Jaylen Watson picked the No. 6 for 99 yards to give Kansas City its first lead of the game. Another three-pointer sealed the deal, and the Chargers didn’t have time to chase.

Why did the charger lose

The Chargers were in the lead for most of the game, but unfortunately for them and their fans, it wasn’t who was ahead must time.

Despite a strong and impressive first half, they never had a big lead. When it comes to playing Mahomes and the Chiefs, a close lead is as good as no lead because they are a team that knows how to get back.

The Chargers’ turnovers, such as struggling in the third down, gave Mahomes and Co. a good spot in the second half from near-safety, and pick 6 was the difference maker.

The second half was a different story than the first, with the Chiefs gradually leading and the Chargers failing to score. The Chargers had a touchdown early in the third quarter and didn’t score again until it was too late.

Herbert wasn’t completely beaten by Mahomes and held his own as the pressure mounted, but in a matchup between two elite teams, sometimes a single interception was enough to change everything.

turning point

The Chiefs’ second touchdown of the day was a 41-yard pass from Mahomes by Justin Watson and started their 20-point unanswered run. Until then, the Chargers have control, and the Chiefs look like they need a spark, and that’s where they start running. The next touchdown also came from Watson — Jaylen Watson — whose No. 6 pick kept the Chiefs ahead forever.

Gameplay

The undeniable game in this game was Jaylen Watson’s 99-yard pick 6. According to the next generation statistics“The Chiefs’ win probability jumped from 31% to 85% because of Watson’s No. 6 pick, or Herbert, a 54% increase, the largest win probability swing for No. 6 picks over the past three seasons.”

Take a look at the long-cut return:

what’s next

The Chiefs’ next opponent is the Indianapolis Colts on September 9. 25. The Chiefs will travel to Lucas Oil Stadium to take on the AFC South, which is currently 0-0-1 heading into the weekend after a draw with the Houston Texans.

The Chargers will host the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 2. 25 at SoFi Stadium. The Jaguars lost to the Washington Commanders 28-22 in Week 1. They will face the Colts on Sunday.



Source link