Kansas City Extends Streak with 15th Consecutive One-Score Victory
Chargers-Chiefs: Shocker! Patrick Mahomes, KC pull out another close win to capture AFC West crown
Winning FG from kicker Matthew Wright doinked off post before going in
The Kansas City Chiefs will always win more than half of their close games as long as Andy Reid is coaching and Patrick Mahomes is playing quarterback. It’s not just good luck when you have all-time greats in those spots.
But this Chiefs streak in close games is still unbelievable. This time, they doinked in a field goal for the win.
The Chiefs extended their NFL record by winning their 15th straight one-score game. The Los Angeles Chargers took a lead with less than five minutes remaining on Sunday night, but a Chiefs win seemed inevitable. Mahomes has come through in that situation so often we take it for granted, and he did it again with a long drive that ended with a game-winning, 31-yard field goal by Matthew Wright on the final play of the game. Wright didn’t hit it great, but it hit the left upright and caromed in. The Chiefs won 19-17, and fans around the NFL wondered again how they keep pulling off victories like that every week.
With the win, the Chiefs clinched their ninth straight AFC West title. They also have a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills, who lost to the Rams on Sunday, and the Pittsburgh Steelers for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The Chargers battled hard and had a shot to win. But, like everyone else who thought they had Mahomes and the Chiefs on the ropes, they just ended up with a heartbreaking loss in the end
NFL
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAC | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| KC | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
Chiefs shut out Chargers before halftime
The Chargers had a rough first half on offense and didn’t score before halftime. They were down two key players to injury — running back J.K. Dobbins and receiver Ladd McConkey — and it showed. The Chargers also lost quarterback Justin Herbert briefly when he landed hard on a hit, and also tight end Will Dissly on the final play of the half.
The Chargers were lacking anyone who could make a play around Herbert. But to start the second half, the offense woke up. Gus Edwards scored on a 3-yard touchdown and despite being outplayed through the first half, the Chargers trailed just 13-7 early in the third quarter.
The Chargers got a stop, pressuring Mahomes on a third-and-1 into throwing an incompletion, then a quick drive that ended with Herbert hitting Quentin Johnston for a touchdown. Suddenly the Chargers led 14-13 with 3:30 left in the third quarter.
As with just about every other Chiefs game this season, Kansas City wasn’t going to blow out its opponent.
Chiefs, Chargers trade lead in 4th quarter
The Chiefs regained the lead in the fourth quarter on a field goal, but had a shot at more. On third-and-16 Mahomes found DeAndre Hopkins deep downfield, but Chargers defensive back Cam Hart arrived with the ball and put a big hit on Hopkins to knock the ball loose and incomplete. That came right after guard Trey Smith took a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, which changed the situation from third-and-1 to third-and-16.
That allowed the Chargers to come downfield and take the lead back. They got into Chiefs territory and kicked a field goal with 4:35 to go. Mahomes has overcome plenty of deficits in far less time than that to work with.
The Chiefs seemed to be in some trouble but Mahomes made a great play on third down, contorting his body to get a pass downfield to Xavier Worthy for a first down. In most of the Chiefs’ close wins, there’s usually at least one play like that from Mahomes that not many other quarterbacks can make.
The rest of the game played out as many others in the Chiefs’ streak. They methodically picked up some more first downs to bleed the clock. Mahomes made a defender miss and hit Travis Kelce on a big third down after the two-minute warning, and because the Chargers had used all their timeouts, the Chiefs could run out most of the rest of the clock and set up a field goal on the final play. Wright almost missed it but as usual, the Chiefs got the bounce they needed.
The Chiefs weren’t great the entire game, which has been a theme of their season. But when the Chiefs needed one drive to win it, they marched downfield as usual and got the game-winning points. It shouldn’t be possible to win 15 straight one-score games.
