The Kansas City Chiefs won their sixth straight game on Sunday afternoon at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 31-17.
Mecole Hardman, a return man for the Chiefs who only rejoined the team last Thursday, broke loose for a 50-yard punt return that put Kansas City at the Chargers’ 35-yard line with just over six minutes left in the game. The Chiefs were ahead by seven points..
Hardman stated, “I just wanted to give my team some momentum.” “[Chargers’ punter JK Scott] had been kicking it high and short the whole game, and finally, I saw one that I could return, and I made the most of it.”
A few snaps later, quarterback Patrick Mahomes hit tailback Isiah Pacheco for an 8-yard touchdown, extending the Chiefs’ lead to two scores and all but guaranteeing Kansas City’s victory.
Mahomes completed 32 of 42 passes for 424 yards, including his fourth touchdown pass of the day. 34 points were scored by Kansas City and Los Angeles combined in the first half, accounting for an astounding 321 of those yards.
In the final seconds of the second quarter, Mahomes led Kansas City on a six-play, 96-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce. Throughout the first half, the two teams battled it out blow for blow, tying the score at 17-17.
For Kelce, it was a part of an incredible day in which he grabbed 12 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown. Actually, Kelce’s yards total was the second-highest of his outstanding career in a single game. It was also Mahomes and Kelce’s 50th touchdown pass together in their career.
“I think the main thing is the way he’s able to recognize coverage and adjust on the fly,” Mahomes said on Kelce. We discuss it frequently, but you shouldn’t take it for granted. He seems to be able to read the coverage, halt in the windows, stay open, and always be in sync with me, almost like he’s playing Madden. He performed admirably. He seems to do it every week, which is why he is the player he is and will one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame.”
Kelce joined rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling as the Chiefs players with touchdowns in the first half. A tenacious Chargers offensive onslaught that kept up with Kansas City drive-for-drive was matched by Rice’s 6-yard touchdown only one series after Valdes-Scantling hauled in a 46-yard score on the Chiefs’ second possession.
But after Los Angeles’ offense got out to a fast start, Kelce’s score put Kansas City ahead before halftime, and the Chiefs didn’t give up a point for the rest of the contest. In the second half, the Chargers had five drives, three punts, and two turnovers.
The Chiefs’ seven-point advantage was maintained by that defensive effort throughout the second half, and when Mahomes connected with Pacheco for Kansas City’s last point late in the fourth quarter, the game was all but over.
The Chiefs have now won 13 straight games against the AFC West, and since 2018, they have a 28-4 record against teams in their own division.
Following the game, Head Coach Andy Reid made reference to linebacker Nick Bolton’s injury—a dislocated wrist. Reid continued by saying that Bolton’s injury was being attended to by the sports training team, and they would monitor his progress going forward.
The Chiefs will now focus on their third consecutive AFC West game when they visit the Broncos in Denver on Sunday.
