The Kansas City Chiefs rallied to win their eleventh game of the season on Sunday with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Here are some quick notes from the win.
1. The Chiefs finished the season with the No. 2 scoring defense in the NFL.
Kansas City wrapped up the regular season with the second-fewest offensive points allowed of any team in the NFL (271), trailing only Baltimore (261). Additionally, the Chiefs finished the campaign by posting the second-best scoring defense (17.3 points allowed-per-game) of any team, once again trailing only the Ravens (16.5 points allowed-per-game).
The Chiefs yielded 20 or fewer points on 13 occasions this season, which led the NFL.
2. Kansas City racked up the second-most sacks in franchise history this year.
The Chiefs finished the season with 57 total sacks, marking the second-most in franchise history. Only the 1990 Chiefs, who recorded 60 sacks, tallied more than this year's group.
Additionally, the Chiefs' 57 sacks this season ranked second in the NFL behind only Baltimore (60). Fifteen players recorded at least a half sack for the Chiefs this season.
3. Safety Mike Edwards recorded the fourth defensive score of his career.
Edwards tallied a 97-yard, "scoop-and-score" touchdown early in the game that turned out to be the only trip to the end zone for either team all day. It was the fourth defensive score of Edwards' career, and his first-ever fumble recovery for a touchdown. The score also marked the third-longest fumble recovery for a touchdown in franchise history, trailing only Chris Martin's 101-yard return in 1991 and Bashaud Breeland's 100-yard return in 2019.
The veteran safety ranks second among all defensive players in touchdowns since 2021.
4. Defensive tackle Chris Jones reached the double-digit sack mark once again.
Jones sacked Chargers' quarterback Easton Stick early in the second half, matching defensive end George Karlaftis for the team-lead with 10.5 sacks on the year. This is Jones' third-career season with double-digit sacks, and his second in a row.
Jones ranks seventh in the NFL in sacks (26) over the last two seasons.
5. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert made his first start since the 2018 season.
Gabbert, who took the field as the starter for the first time since Week 17 of the 2018 season, completed 15-of-30 passes for 154 yards on Sunday. His most significant contributions were with his legs, however, as Gabbert tallied two runs of double-digit yardage on the Chiefs' final series that helped set up Kansas City's go-ahead field goal.
The veteran quarterback's 46 rushing yards on Sunday marked his most in a single game since the 2016 season.
6. Tailback La'Mical Perine recorded a career-most 109 yards from scrimmage.
Perine, who made his first start as a professional on Sunday, tallied a career-best 109 total yards from scrimmage on 25 total touches, rushing for 76 yards on 21 carries while also catching three passes for 33 yards.
The outing included career-bests from the former fourth-round pick in both rushing yards and receiving yards.
7. Veteran wide receiver Mecole Hardman put together his best game of the year.
Hardman caught six passes for 77 yards on Sunday, including a 37-yard catch late in the first half that set up one of Harrison Butker's two field goals. Hardman hauled in 14 passes for 118 yards in his six games with the Chiefs this season.
8. Rookie linebacker Cam Jones tallied a team-leading 12 tackles.
Jones, who joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent during the offseason, recorded a team-most 12 tackles in Sunday's victory. Eleven of those tackles were of the solo variety, making Jones just the second member of the Chiefs to record 10+ solo tackles in a single game this season (joining Mike Edwards).
9. Defensive end Malik Herring made a pair of critical plays that helped seal the victory.
Herring, who played a career-most 66 percent of the Chiefs' defensive snaps on Sunday, logged a productive day with five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass defensed. The box score doesn't tell the full story, however, as two of those statistics – the sack and the pass defensed – occurred on the Chargers' final series. Herring sacked Easton Stick on the Chargers' first play from scrimmage following the Chiefs' go-ahead field goal, and just two plays later, he deflected Stick's pass at the line of scrimmage.
Herring's efforts helped secure the victory, and while the result didn't matter in terms of the standings, that real-world experience was invaluable for Herring and the rest of the Chiefs' young defenders who played significant snaps for the first time on Sunday.
10. The Chiefs have now won at least 11 games in six consecutive seasons.
Kansas City won its 11th game of the season on Sunday, securing its sixth-consecutive campaign with at least 11 victories. That's tied for the third-longest streak for any team since at least 1970, trailing only the 2010-19 New England Patriots (10 straight) and the 2003-09 Indianapolis Colts (7 straight).
The Chiefs also moved to 51-15 vs. AFC West opponents since 2013 with the victory, and 41-7 against divisional opponents since 2016 (when the Chiefs' run of eight-straight AFC West titles began).
Kansas City will now turn the page to the playoffs with a matchup against the Miami Dolphins on deck at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. For tickets, click here.
