The Kansas City Chiefs secured a narrow 17-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, improving their record to 4-0 this season. As has been the case in many of their recent games, this victory was not a blowout. The Chargers initially took control, building a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, aided by a rare interception from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. However, the Chiefs rallied to score the final 17 points of the game, overcoming another significant injury to their offense when wide receiver Rashee Rice went down.
This latest win extends Kansas City’s impressive streak to 10 games, dating back to last season’s playoffs and regular season. Remarkably, nine of these victories have come by single possessions, with their only comfortable win being a 26-7 triumph over the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card round.
The game started poorly for the Chiefs, with running back Carson Steele fumbling on their opening drive, allowing the Chargers to capitalize with a 74-yard touchdown drive. The situation worsened when Mahomes threw an interception on the Chiefs’ next possession. Rice attempted to make a play on the return but sustained a knee injury while trying to strip the ball from Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton. He was taken off the field on a stretcher, and head coach Andy Reid described the injury as “not good” during halftime.
Despite the challenging start, the Chiefs’ defense stepped up and kept the Chargers off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game. The Chiefs responded with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to rookie Xavier Worthy, followed by a field goal that tied the game at 10. Mahomes then orchestrated a 60-yard drive in the fourth quarter, culminating in a touchdown run by Samaje Perine, which secured the win.
With Rice sidelined, Mahomes had to look for alternative targets. Although Travis Kelce had seen less action this season, he rose to the occasion, leading the team with seven receptions for 89 yards—significantly improving on his previous total of just 69 yards over the first three games. Worthy contributed with three catches for 73 yards, including the pivotal 54-yard touchdown.
Kareem Hunt, who returned to the Chiefs after the injury to Isiah Pacheco, took charge of the backfield, finishing with 14 carries for 69 yards. Steele was benched following his fumble, and Perine added another 14 yards on five carries.
Mahomes completed 19 of 29 passes for 245 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. The Chiefs’ defense played a crucial role, limiting Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to 16 completions on 27 attempts for 179 yards and one touchdown, while pressuring him throughout the game. The Chargers managed just 224 total yards of offense.
While this victory may not have been the commanding performance typically expected from two-time defending Super Bowl champions, it nonetheless marked an important milestone for the Chiefs as they maintain a two-game lead in the AFC West, with their rivals all tied at 2-2.