Chargers can’t finish what they start in loss to Chiefs

Kansas City records its 10th consecutive win with comeback from 10-0 deficit in SoFi Stadium.

Sep 30, 2024 - 08:00

Chargers can’t finish what they start in loss to Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele #42 is taken down by Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman #6 on a short run in the first half of the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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INGLEWOOD — The injuries to key players and a makeshift lineup were one thing. The long list of penalties was another thing. The opponent was one more thing the Chargers had going against them Sunday at SoFi Stadium, the one thing that ultimately was too much for them to overcome.

So, for all the postgame praise Jim Harbaugh heaped upon his shorthanded team, there was one unavoidable reality the Chargers faced and that was that the Kansas City Chiefs were the better, healthier and more efficient team during a 17-10 come-from-behind victory.

In the end, near the end, quarterback Patrick Mahomes drove the Chiefs to the winning touchdown, a 1-yard run by running back Samaje Perine with 6:04 remaining, capping a comeback from a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter. The Chargers had no response in the closing minutes.

The Chiefs improved to 4-0.

The Chargers fell to 2-2 after their 11th consecutive home loss to Kansas City.

“Respect for our team, the way they played, the way they fought,” Harbaugh said. “Nothing but respect for the way our guys played.”

However, the bye week couldn’t come for a better time for the Chargers, who played with quarterback Justin Herbert hobbled by a sprained right ankle but without tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater and outside linebacker Joey Bosa because of injuries and safety Derwin James Jr. because of a suspension.

Herbert sizzled at the start for the second consecutive game. He completed his first seven passes for 69 yards and a 7-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the first quarter. He completed his first nine passes in the first half last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But, as in their 20-10 loss to the Steelers in Week 3, the Chargers couldn’t move the ball in the second half in Week 4 against the Chiefs. They led 10-0 after Cameron Dicker’s 50-yard field goal with 3:53 left in the first quarter, but their momentum and their lead wouldn’t last the afternoon.

The Chiefs rallied on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Xavier Worthy with 4:06 left in the first half and Harrison Butker’s 37-yard field goal with 6:26 left in the third quarter. Mahomes then directed what proved to be the winning, five-play, 60-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter.

Herbert had driven the Chargers to the Chiefs’ 3-yard line, but a fourth-and-1 pass fell incomplete early in the fourth quarter. The Chargers were flagged for offensive holding on the play, so even if a scrambling Herbert had connected with tight end Hayden Hurst, it would have been nullified.

In the end, Herbert completed 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards with one touchdown and a passer rating of 91.4. He was 7 for 14 for 101 yards in the second half, however. He declined to blame his lackluster production in the second half on the absences of Alt and Slater, two former first-round draft picks.

“I thought it held up well,” Herbert said of his sprained ankle, which was protected by a brace for the first time in a game since he hurt it in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers. “We just have to execute on third down. You have to score in the red zone. Those penalties really hurt us. So, it was an accumulation of those things.”

In fact, the Chargers were 4 for 13 on third-down conversions and 0 for 1 on fourth-down conversions, and they were penalized nine times for 51 yards, including twice for a total of 25 yards on their second possession, which yielded Dicker’s field goal and produced a 10-0 lead.

Both of the Chargers’ scores came after Chiefs turnovers. Running back Carson Steele fumbled at the Chargers’ 26-yard line, ending one promising drive for Kansas City. Mahomes then was intercepted by Kristian Fulton, who returned the ball to the Chiefs’ 20-yard line on the next drive.

Mahomes completed 19 of 29 passes for 245 yards with one touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 89.0. Tight end Travis Kelce caught seven passes from Mahomes for 89 yards and became the Chiefs’ all-time leader in career receptions with 922, passing Tony Gonzalez (916).

“I think we haven’t shown, really, much of anything yet,” Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley said. “The best thing about this is we’re going into the bye week and we can come out of it healthy. You see the injury report and everybody’s eyes are wide, but we can get healthy. It’s a lot to look forward to.

“So far, we’ve got a lot to build on.”