Review of the Chargers-Chiefs live game: Justin Herbert and Bolts enter the bye week with momentum

The Chargers (2-1) and Chiefs (3-0) meet at SoFi Stadium for the first of their two division games this season. Justin Herbert will start after working through another week with his high ankle sprain. On the other hand, the Chargers are without their first two offensive tackles, Rashawn Slater (pectoral muscle) and Joe Alt (knee).

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs aren’t missing any key players, but they’re far from the powerhouse we’ve all come to know over the past few years. The defense, which carried them for most of last season, ranks 28th in passing and 14th in running. The offense also ranks 14th in yards allowed, but the Chiefs still managed to score enough points , as they rank 7th in PPG.

Jim Harbaugh will want to run the ball as usual, but given the injuries, that doesn’t appear to be an easy task this week. Will Greg Roman be able to unlock the passing game if the flow of the game forces them to switch in that direction? Of course the fans hope so. Otherwise it could quickly get out of control.

For a full quarterly recap of today’s game, click here!

First quarter

The Chargers won the coin toss and elected to defer. The Chiefs offense was first.

On the third play of the game, Mahomes hit Travis Kelce on a three-and-8 for a massive 38-yard gain. On the very next play, rookie UDFA running back Carson Steele coughed up the ball as he was stripped by Tuli Tuipulotu. Safety Elijah Molden recovered and the Chargers began their drive at their own 26-yard line.

With a healthy balance between run and pass, Justin Herbert and the Chargers marched down the field inside the 10-yard line thanks to two catches from rookie receiver Ladd McConkey. Gus Edwards was lined up at the nine on a first-and-10 and fended off left tackle for a four-yard gain. On second down, Herbert shotgunned the ball, crossed the field and, despite taking a heavy hit, fired into the back of the end zone. The ball was corralled by McConkey behind the back of a Chiefs defender near the back sideline for the first touchdown of the game. With just over six minutes left, the Chargers led 7-0.

On the Chiefs’ first play of their next drive, Mahomes threw a pass down the left sideline, but the ball had too much air underneath and cornerback Kristian Fulton was able to come down with the interception. Fulton brought the ball back into Chiefs territory but was stripped before being tackled.

After the scrum for the ball, the referees signaled that the Chiefs had recovered. Upon further review, Chargers safety AJ Finley touched the ball while it was out of bounds, causing the ball to also be ruled out of bounds.

Despite the positive momentum, the chance for a second touchdown was immediately dashed when the Chargers were called for an illegal chop block that pushed them back 15 yards. On the next play, Jamaree Salyer was called for holding the Chiefs’ Chris Jones. So when the Bolts faced 2nd-and-29, they made it twice before kicker Cameron Dicker was good from 50 yards to give LA a 10-0 lead.

The Chargers’ defense kept its foot on the pedal by forcing the Chiefs into a three-pointer, punctuated by a third-period sack by Bud Dupree.

Herbert and the offense went into halftime with a second and 21 seconds left thanks to a false start penalty against Trey Pipkins.

Second quarter

The Chargers and Chiefs exchanged punts early in the quarter, with the Bolts scoring twice against Kansas City.

The Chiefs found some momentum on their second drive of the quarter, but the Bolts defense stepped up and sacked Patrick Mahomes again on third down near midfield. Kansas City punter Matt Araiza then landed a punt at the Chargers’ five-yard line, but it came to an abrupt stop and was knocked down at the one-yard line. The Chargers couldn’t muster any movement up front and hit straight back.

This time the Chiefs only needed one play to find the end zone. Mahomes dropped back, had plenty of time, and fired a moonshot to rookie Xavier Worthy in the end zone, who ran past Fulton in coverage. Alohi Gilman was the deep safety on that side, but he didn’t try to keep track of Worthy’s go route.

On the other hand, the Chargers offensive line ended a drive almost immediately with a penalty. Herbert was sacked on third-and-17 to force another punt.

As the clock ticked down toward halftime, the Chiefs moved the ball just above midfield. From there, Tuli Tuipulotu began harassing Mahomes, and Kansas City was pushed back beyond field goal range thanks to a holding stop. A short slant pass got them to the Chargers’ 47-yard line, but Harrison Butker’s 65-yard attempt failed.

The Chargers entered the locker room barely holding a 10-7 lead.

Third quarter

Fourth quarter