The Chargers struggled to finish as the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated them 17-10 in a start-to-finish showdown
.The Bolts defense began the game lights out. Tuli Tuipulotu stripped the ball out of RB Carson Steele during KC’s opening drive, with LA recovering the fumble. The Chargers then methodically marched down the field, capping it off with a beautiful pass from Herbert to Ladd McConkey to go up 7-0. On the Chiefs’ next drive, Patrick Mahomes threw a bad ball over Travis Kelce’s hands and to Kristian Fulton. On the return, Fulton fumbled and Chiefs WR Rashee Rice injured his knee in the scuffle and did not return on Sunday. After recovering the fumble, the Chargers couldn’t get anything going in the red zone and settled for a Field Goal from Cameron Dicker to take a 10-0 lead.
Things were slow until Patrick Mahomes connected deep with rookie Xavier Worthy to make it a 10-7 contest with four minutes remaining in the second. From then on, it was all Chiefs. Brutal penalties stifled the Chargers offense and they couldn’t overcome the holes they put themselves into. Harrison Butker hit a Field Goal from 37 in the third and Samaje Perine punched in the dagger halfway through the fourth quarter. After a crucial sack from Chris Jones on Justin Herbert, the Chiefs ran down the clock and improved to 4-0 on the season.
The most glaring aspect of this game for the Chargers was the penalties on offense. The team was flagged 9 times, most of the penalties coming from either holds or false starts from the offensive line. This line, with backups all over, performed well despite the flags. Without Joe Alt or Rashawn Slater, expectations for the patched line were low.
Even with decent protection, it didn’t stop playmakers like Chris Jones and George Karlaftis from getting to Justin Herbert. Herbert – playing on a high-ankle sprain – was hit ten times throughout the game. While certainly not ideal, a bye week in week five will be much needed for him, and he will likely be nearly healthy by their matchup vs. the Broncos in week six.
The most worrying part of the defensive side of the ball was the run defense. Kareem Hunt, who returned to the Chiefs after not being on a roster until week two, ran for 69 yards on Sunday. He was getting around five yards or more per carry over a large stretch of the game, making it the surefire way for the Chiefs to get yards during the bulk of the second half. A unit that has been very strong for LA so far was subpar this week, and one could only hope that a week off can help them fix their issues in that area.
Of course, just like any loss in the NFL, there are positive things to take away. The Chargers battled the defending champs to the whistle without many of their best players. If Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater were on the field, the number of penalties on the line would be significantly lower, and the offense wouldn’t lose their rhythm. If Joey Bosa and Derwin James were in, the Bolts could’ve gotten some stops they couldn’t have picked up otherwise. However, a loss is a loss and they head into the bye 2-2. The week six game against Denver will be crucial as it will decide whether or not they fall to third in the division as the season heads into its most chaotic stretch. Until then, the Bolts have two weeks to recover and get healthy to face Bo Nix and the Broncos in Denver.