The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 22-6, but it was a lackluster game the Chiefs won mostly because the Chargers are a bad team that can’t get out of their own way right now.
For the Chiefs, it was a solid win that felt like it should have been a lot easier. The Chiefs dominated the first half, starting with a 41-yard drive that led to a 44-yard field goal from Harrison Butker, and running back Kenneth Walker III sparked their next drive with a 33-yard TD run, with a failed Butker PAT giving Kansas City a 9-0 lead.
The Chargers countered with a field goal at the end of the first quarter, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a horrible interception on an end zone heave in the second after linebacker Jake Cochran picked off Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and returned the ball deep into LA territory.
The Chiefs did get a touchown later in the second quarter as Walker ran it in from 2 yards out after an eight-play, 80 yard drive, and Kansas City added another Butker field goal to make it 19-3 at the half.
The second half was full of bad football from both teams. The Chargers opened the half with a 60-yard drive that led to another field goal from Cameron Dicker, this one from 30 yards out. The Chiefs countered with what should have been a touchdown drive, but the drive stalled at the goal line on downs and the third quarter ended with Kansas City leading 19-6.
The Chargers hung around well into the fourth quarter, although turnovers and inept offensive football were a constant problem as they lost a fumble and Herbert threw that bad pick to Cochran. The Chiefs finished the scoring with a late fourth-quarter field goal to make it 22-6, but the game felt like a route that never quite happened for Kansas City.
The stats will look good in the final box score, though, with Mahomes going 23-for-30 for 272 yards and that ugly interception. Walker’s stats were legit, as he rushed for 128 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns, and receiver Xavier Worthy finally showed up and had a good game with seven receptions for 73 yards as Rashee Rice had to sit this one out with a hamstring injury.
Herbert was horrendous again, going 22-for-37 for 204 yards and an interception, and he was the biggest reason the Chargers lost this one as they dropped to 0-6. The Chiefs will take the win, but they’ll also know they left plenty of plays on the field that will need to get cleaned up going forward.