The Chiefs beat the Chargers by outsmarting them.
That’s not a knock on Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who is just getting started with L.A, in contrast to Chiefs coaches and players who’ve played high-level football chess together for several years.
The Chiefs solve problems fast. Whatever the game dishes up, they tend to find answers.
So the Chiefs, despite promptly turning ball over twice and losing top receiver Rashee Rice to a severe knee injury on Sunday, responded with 17 unanswered points and prevented the Chargers (2-2) from catching them in the AFC West race with the 17-10 road victory.
The defense adapted after allowing 10 quick points.
Down the stretch, the unit created advantageous matchups.
Such as Chargers’ backup right guard (Sam Mustipher) having no help against sackmonster Chris Jones, leading to a crucial fourth-and-1 incompletion.
Another design put Jones against a tight end in solo pass blocking.
Jones trashed him and sacked Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, stopping L.A.’s final drive.
What set up that sack also was coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s knack for late-game blitzes that fool the offense. Trent McDuffie is K.C.’s All-Pro cornerback. The Chargers surely did exhaustive work to counter his sneaky slot blitzes.
But McDuffie still blew up plays — pass and run.
Coach Andy Reid and Co. also found late-game answers on offense, none bigger than a man-coverage solution that enabled rookie receiver Xavier Worthy to convert on third-and-6 from K.C.’s 8 with 2:22 left.
Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. was in off coverage. Because Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce ruined his angle, Samuel had no chance to catch Worthy on a shallow crossing route.
Well-prepared D
Harbaugh and staff put in extra work to prepare for the Chiefs. It showed on coordinator Jesse Minter’s defense.
L.A.’s front constrained Mahomes very well. Their disciplined work was a big reason the Chiefs trailed until late in the third quarter.
Player grades
Chargers receiver Josh Palmer deserved an F for a crucial “hidden” error.
On Herbert’s third-and-5 pass from K.C.’s 7 early in the fourth quarter, Palmer chose to drop forward to the carpet while catching a perfect pass that led him between the chest and right hip.
Remaining upright would’ve allowed Palmer, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder in his fourth season with Herbert, to surge for the first down. A touchdown, breaking a 10-10 tie, was possible.
Palmer caught the ball at the 4 on an in-route. He went down for no good reason on the 3, where linebacker Nick Bolton, screened by a tight end as Palmer caught the ball, touched him down.
Then Jones wrecked the fourth-and-1 play, beating Mustipher.
The game’s MVP was Kareem Hunt. A veteran back making his season debut, Hunt went for 85 total yards after rookie Carson Steele got benched for fumbling on first down in field-goal range.
Hunt, 29, outperformed Chagers counterpart J.K. Dobbins.
LA’s best personnel edge came from great edge man Khalil Mack, 33.
Mahomes will have to live with contributing to Rice’s injury. He sailed a pass that Kristian Fulton picked off and collided with Rice during Fulton’s return. Otherwise, Mahomes — who completed 19 of 29 passes for 245 yards — made several shrewd plays. His strike, covering 62 air yards, found Worthy for a 54-yard TD.
Right move
Harbaugh was correct to start Herbert, who finished 16 for 27 for 179 yards despite the high-ankle sprain suffered two weeks ago and absence of both starting tackles.
Herbert’s mobility was improved from seven days earlier. His passing was mostly accurate. His A+ pass uncovered Ladd McConkey, creating a 7-yard TD and a 7-0 lead.
But neither Herbert and Co. nor Mack and Co. could counter the late-game mismatches.
Learning from the game as it goes and drawing late from still-fresh play options is what the Chiefs do well against most teams. There’s a big reason Mahomes is 18-14 in games the Chiefs have trailed by 10 points, including a 3-1 record in Super Bowls.
Led by Reid and Spagnuolo, the Chiefs are football’s leading Einsteins.
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