The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, 17-10, on Sunday afternoon to remain undefeated on the year.
A true battle of attrition that included 10 punts between the two teams, Kansas City rallied back from an early 10-point deficit to win its 11th consecutive road game over the Chargers.
"I'm proud of our guys for hanging in there. It easily could have gone a different direction," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "The guys supported each other."
All tied up at 10 points apiece late in the fourth quarter, Chiefs' running back Samaje Perine punched in a 2-yard, go-ahead touchdown that gave Kansas City its first lead of the game. The Chiefs then forced a Chargers' punt on their ensuing series when defensive tackle Chris Jones sacked Chargers' quarterback Justin Herbert on third down, forcing a Los Angeles punt with just over three minutes remaining in regulation.
Jones' efforts meant that the Chiefs had an opportunity to end the game with possession of the ball if they could record one first down, and facing a 3rd-and-6 at the Kansas City 8-yard line, Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes found wide receiver Xavier Worthy for a 15-yard completion that moved the chains and allowed the Chiefs to run out the clock.
The outcome completed a hard-fought rally for Kansas City, which trailed by 10 points late in the first quarter after turning the ball over on consecutive possessions to begin the game. The Chiefs' defense managed to prevent any further additions to that deficit over the remainder of the contest, however, holding Los Angeles scoreless across its final eight possessions.
"Nobody talks about it, and they're starting to now, but our defense is really good," Mahomes said. "They know how to shut the door and keep us in football games…That's what it takes to be a great football team. It's about everybody stepping up, and our defense has done that this entire year."
That performance on Sunday included forcing six punts, a missed field goal and a turnover-on-downs over the final three quarters of play, the latter of which took place at the Chiefs' 3-yard line. The giveaway meant that Los Angeles had nothing to show for a 14-play series that marched 67 yards deep into Chiefs' territory, and as it turned out, the Chargers didn't cross the 50-yard line over the remainder of the game.
Additionally, the Chiefs' rushing defense – which entered Sunday's game having allowed an average of just 3.3 yards-per-carry to opposing running backs through Week 3 – yielded only 55 total rushing yards to Los Angeles. Specifically, the Chiefs held running back J.K. Dobbins, who entered Sunday's game with the third-most rushing yards in the NFL, to an average of just 2.3 yards-per-carry on 14 attempts.
The Chiefs' offense, meanwhile, shook off its early struggles to post 17 unanswered points between the second and fourth quarters. That rally began with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy late in the first half before kicker Harrison Butker connected on a 37-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, knotting the game at 10 points.
Los Angeles then appeared poised to immediately answer, but the Chiefs' defense held on downs at the Kansas City 3-yard line, and two drives later, Perine had the Chiefs in front for the first time all day following a five-play, 60-yard scoring series.
"Everybody contributed there. We got a nice mix of the run and the pass [working] together," said Reid when asked about the go-ahead scoring drive. "We were getting positive yards on them, and once you get that [balance] going, you're [in good shape]."
Worthy hauled in Mahomes' third-down pass soon after the scoring drive, and despite a slew of mistakes early in the contest, Kansas City had itself a fourth-straight victory to begin the year.
"At the beginning of the game, in general, we were trying to do too much. We had the fumble and the interception, but I think guys stepped up [as the game went on]," Mahomes said. "At the end of the day, we got the win, and that's what's important."
In terms of injuries, the Chiefs may have suffered a significant one. Wide receiver Rashee Rice left the game early in the first quarter with a knee injury, and according to Reid, it may be serious.
"Rashee will have his knee checked out tomorrow with an MRI," Reid said. "We'll have to wait and see, but I'm sure it's not as good of news as we want. We'll see how it goes."
The Chiefs will now turn the page to a matchup against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football next week.
