Week 4 Final Score: The Chiefs bounce back, beating the Chargers 17-10

In Week 4, the Kansas City Chiefs went to So-Fi Stadium looking for their fourth win of the season. They trailed 10-0 after consecutive turnovers in the first quarter, but managed to fight back for a 17-10 win.

First quarter

The Chargers won the first coin toss and postponed their decision until the second half. That gave Kansas City the ball to start the game on a touchback at the 30-yard line.

The Chiefs got momentum early when quarterback Patrick Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce down the right sideline for 38 yards on third down. However, rookie running back Carson Steele fumbled on the next play, giving Los Angeles possession deep at its own 26-yard line.

Los Angeles used the running game to shorten the field, staying ahead of the hitters and avoiding third downs for the entire 10-play period. On second down in the red zone, quarterback Justin Herbert found rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey with safety Bryan Cook in coverage. The Chargers led 7-0 after their first drive.

Mahomes started the next drive with a throw to Kelce that ended in an interception. The return ended with a fumble that the Chiefs almost recovered, but the Chargers ended up gaining possession.

The Chiefs’ defense was aided by penalties to stifle the Chargers’ offense with a short field and prevent them from making a field goal. Los Angeles took the free kick to make it 10-0.

A negative day for Mahomes and the offense continued on their third drive. The unit went out of bounds three times, punctuated by a sack in which Mahomes had to hold on to the ball as the pocket collapsed. Kansas City was forced to put it away.

The Chiefs defense worked with a fumbled snap and a false start to set up their next drive. There was a second deficit with 21 yards to go at the end of the first quarter.

Second quarter

The Chiefs’ pass rush took advantage of the third-and-long opportunity to fire up Herbert; Defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah interfered with the quarterback’s throw and caused an incompletion. The Chargers had to return to Kansas City.

Running back Kareem Hunt got his first carry in his return to the Chiefs and gained nine yards on a first and long. The Chiefs were unable to take advantage of this; On third-and-short, a quick pass to wide receiver Skyy Moore went through his hands, causing an incomplete end to the drive.

The Chargers’ offense backed themselves up with multiple dunks and dunks to advance to third-and-short – but the Chiefs’ defense stopped them there. Defensive tackle Chris Jones disrupted the line and cornerback Jaylen Watson broke the tackle at the line of scrimmage.

Kansas City got the offense going with strong runs from Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine and then passed to Kelce. The Chiefs worked their way into Los Angeles territory, but then got into third-and-long; The Chargers overran Mahomes, which led to a disappointing punt with five minutes left.

The punt pushed the Chargers deep into their own territory and the Chiefs defense took advantage. After scoring a run, the Chiefs forced two incompletions; On third down, cornerback Trent McDuffie blitzed and hit Herbert as he threw.

With four minutes left in the first half, Mahomes decided to make the big play on first down. He delivered a bomb to rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the end zone, which Worthy secured for a 54-yard score. The Chiefs increased the score to 10-7.

Kansas City’s defense continued its strong play since allowing a touchdown on the opening drive. The unit forced a three-and-out, highlighted by a sack by Chris Jones. The Chiefs got the ball back with three minutes left.

From their own 24-yard line, the Chiefs looked to score before halftime. However, right tackle Jawaan Taylor was called for holding the ball, which marked his second penalty of the game. That set the drive back and put the offense on third-and-10 after the two-minute warning.

Kelce found space up the middle to move the chains, then tight end Noah Gray made two straight catches and advanced toward midfield. A holding penalty on right guard Trey Smith kept things alive and forced the Chiefs to settle for a long field goal.

Kicker Harrison Butker attempted the 65-yard field goal, but the kick didn’t have enough leg. At halftime it was still 10:7.

Third quarter

The Chargers’ offense was explosive from the start of the second half, giving McConkey space to score on a slant shot for a 37-yard gain. From there, the Chiefs defense came around and forced a fourth down. The field goal attempt was unsuccessful and the Chargers had no points from the drive.

The Chiefs took the lead and relied on Hunt and the ground game to maintain a push into Los Angeles territory. On the only third-and-long, wide receiver Justin Watson gained 17 yards on a play over the middle. However, the Chiefs stopped just outside the red zone; The team chose a four and a one, making the score 10-10.

Herbert and Los Angeles mounted a strong attack in response to the Chiefs’ score, starting with a 26-yard completion to wide receiver Joshua Palmer. This enabled them to rely on the hasty attack and advance deep into the Kansas City area. Herbert made two strong throws to move the chains on third down. That put them at the 12-yard line at the end of the quarter.

Fourth quarter

The Chiefs forced a fourth-and-1 at the three-yard line, and Los Angeles got ready to go for it. Herbert’s dropback was broken up by Chris Jones and a holding penalty doomed the Chargers’ bold attempt to convert. An incomplete pass caused the Chiefs to send the ball deep into their own half of the field.

Hunt helped the Chiefs get out of poor field position by seemingly taking the reins as the Chiefs’ primary running back. He and Mahomes both moved the chains with their feet. A hold call against Noah Gray negated a run and the Chiefs offense couldn’t recover. On third down, a sideline attempt by Kelce was out of reach and resulted in a punt.

With nine minutes left, the Chiefs defense had to give the ball back to the offense, and they did so quickly. The unit stuffed a run, forced a scrambling incompletion, then Jaylen Watson broke up a pass on third down. The Chargers went three out and only needed a minute of game time.

Mahomes opened this drive late in the game with a play-action pass that went forward and found Noah Gray over the middle for 29 yards. That put the Chiefs at the Chargers’ 31-yard line, and Hunt was able to rush for 23 yards in the next three snaps. From the three-yard line, Samaje Perine hit a handoff to give the Chiefs a 17-10 lead.

With six minutes left, the Chargers were looking for a game-winning score. The offense started with a good screen completion, then the Chiefs defense stuffed the next first down run. After linebacker Drue Tranquill botched a pass play on second down, Chris Jones ended the drive with his second sack of the game. That forced Los Angeles to punt the ball away with under four minutes left.

The Chiefs had to put together a game-winning attack and started with another strong run from Hunt. Mahomes had to move the chains and found an open Worthy running down the field, leading to the two-minute warning.

Los Angeles had no timeouts, giving the Chiefs the opportunity to kneel down and end the game. Kansas City won 17-10.

Injuries

Wide receiver Rashee Rice left the game on a cart with a knee injury and was later ruled out.

Special teams

Punter Matt Araiza’s first punt traveled 53 yards and was downed at the Chargers’ 19-yard line. His second punt was fairly caught at the six-yard line. Araiza’s third punt was faked at the one-yard line. At the end of the game, all four of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line.

Kicker Harrison Butker missed a 65-yard field goal attempt just before halftime. In the third quarter he tied the score with a 37-yard kick. He made both point-after attempts.