Chiefs-Chargers: 5 issues we realized in Week 14 win

In entrance of a nationwide “Sunday Night time Soccer” viewers, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs gutted out a 19-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14, claiming their ninth consecutive AFC West championship.

Listed below are 5 issues we realized on Sunday.

1. The Chiefs acquired a 2-for-1 deal on new methods to win a sport

Since Kansas Metropolis had already gained a sport with a last-second area objective by its first-string kicker Harrison Butker (the 26-25 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2) and a last-second area objective by its second-string kicker Spencer Shrader (the 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers two weeks in the past), it was crucial for the staff to win a sport with a last-second area objective by its third-string kicker Matthew Wright.

The truth that Wright’s 31-yard area objective doinked off the left upright — and nonetheless went by for the win — eliminates one different method the Chiefs may win an in depth sport this season.

Let’s be trustworthy: the Chiefs won’t ever discover all of the other ways to win an in depth sport this season. In any case, it’s mathematically unimaginable for them to find greater than seven (or perhaps eight) new methods. All they really want to do is keep away from discovering methods to lose shut video games.

Up to now, they’ve been astonishingly good at that.

2. The 2 defenses had been simply as marketed

When Arrowhead Pleasure panelists turned of their predictions for this sport, solely two of us thought both staff would rating greater than 24 factors. There was a superb cause for that: each groups have top-flight defenses.

Los Angeles got here into Sunday’s sport permitting simply 15.7 factors a sport — the league’s greatest mark. The Chiefs had been ranked eighth at 19.6 factors per sport. And Sunday’s sport confirmed each models doing what they do greatest. It’s simply what we should always have anticipated.

Sure… it was disturbing for Kansas Metropolis followers to look at the Chargers offense open the third quarter with a sustained drive to attain their first landing — after which comply with it with a five-play drive to take a 14-13 lead. I’m certain it was simply as troublesome for Los Angeles followers to look at Patrick Mahomes dink and dunk his method down the sphere within the second quarter to attain Kansas Metropolis’s solely landing — or watch the sensible performs Mahomes executed on the Chiefs’ ultimate drive.

Sunday’s sport was a terrific instance of what good groups do: they probe for weaknesses, adjusting their methods to make the most of that day’s opponent. In the event that they succeed, the opposite staff does the identical factor. This goes backwards and forwards till the ultimate whistle.

Up to now this season, Kansas Metropolis has finished a greater job of constructing these changes in 12 of its 13 video games. And that’s why it’s nonetheless the AFC’s staff to beat.

3. We had been anticipating an excessive amount of of D.J. Humphries

With the entire points that the Chiefs’ offensive line has labored by this season, it’s not stunning that many noticed the signing of Humphries — a former first-round choose — as an prompt resolution to these issues.

This was in all probability wishful pondering. It’s asking loads for a participant who suffered an ACL harm close to the top of 1 season to be able to carry out at 100% earlier than the top of the next season. It’s much more unreasonable to count on that from a participant who’s been with a staff for a few weeks.

Whereas Humphries didn’t appear like an All-Professional in opposition to Los Angeles, he didn’t appear like an overmatched rookie, both. Because the saying goes, he was neither pretty much as good as we had hoped nor as dangerous as we had feared.

However that’s OK. Assuming that the harm that compelled him out of Sunday night time’s sport (reported to be a tweaked hamstring) just isn’t critical, we are able to count on him to proceed to get extra in tune along with his teammates — and get again into soccer form, too. If he can try this, he’ll be wonderful.

4. Andy Reid — and Patrick Mahomes — are geniuses

I’m sure there have been instances in Sunday night time’s sport the place you had been able to tear your hair out over certainly one of Reid’s play-calls or certainly one of Mahomes’ selections.

However the third-and-7 play that sealed this win was a factor of magnificence.

On the snap, the offensive line goes to its left whereas Mahomes rolls proper — with working again Samaje Perine main him to the flat. After motioning to the left earlier than the snap, wideout DeAndre Hopkins (Sure… DeAndre Hopkins!) does his job: he chips Joey Bosa, who has grow to be a free rusher off the suitable edge after Jawaan Taylor goes to the left. Bosa and three different Chargers converge on Mahomes, whereas two others go after Perine.

And for the 431st time, followers of one other staff exclaimed, “How can they depart Travis Kelce uncovered like that?”

It’s easy — when Reid and Mahomes bait them into it.

5. Buffalo just isn’t unbeatable

When the Buffalo Payments defeated the Chiefs 30-21 in Week 11, various observers assumed that their remaining schedule — a bye week adopted by the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, New York Jets and the Patriots once more — would result in 5 (if not six) wins. This wasn’t excellent news for the Chiefs, who would face 4 AFC playoff groups throughout their final seven video games.

So after Week 13’s motion, the New York Occasions playoff calculator gave the Chiefs a 47% probability to win the AFC’s No. 1 seed. However throughout Sunday’s late-afternoon video games, the Payments recorded a 44-42 street loss to the Rams. By itself, that elevated Kansas Metropolis’s probability to 68%. Following Sunday’s night time’s win over the Chargers, it rose to 77%.

To make certain, the Chiefs should preserve profitable — in… you already know… no matter method they’ll. And so they’re nonetheless in charge of their future: by profitable out, they’ll clinch the highest seed. However the door is now large open for Kansas Metropolis to clinch it earlier than then.