Los Angeles Chargers Defeat Kansas City Chiefs: By The Numbers
The Los Angeles Chargers bounce back from their Week 2 loss against the Dallas Cowboys with a big win in Kansas City against the Chiefs. In what was potentially the game of the week — Justin Herbert vs. Patrick Mahomes — the Chargers came out on top 30-24. In yet another one-possession game, Herbert was able to outplay Mahomes and lead the Chargers to victory.
The Chargers’ defense got off to a fast start and set the pace for the offense. The defense intercepted Mahomes twice, ripped the ball out of Tyreek Hill‘s hands, forcing a fumble, as well as forcing a fumble against Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Asante Samuel Jr. recorded his second interception of the season, and Alohi Gilman recorded his first career interception against non-other than Mahomes.
The offense stepped up as well. Herbert completed 26-for-38 passes for 281 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He added four carries for 16 yards and a successful 2-point conversion. Austin Ekeler had 11 carries for 55 yards, six receptions on six targets for 52 yards, and his first receiving touchdown of the season. Keenan Allen received eight catches on 12 targets for 50 yards and one touchdown. Lastly, Mike Williams received seven catches on nine targets for 122 yards, two touchdowns, and one 2-point conversion.
Let’s take a look at the other important numbers.
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ONE
That is the number of sacks the offensive line allowed. Herbert was sacked just once, which is a noticeable improvement from last season. The Chargers allowed two sacks to the Washington Football Team and Dallas Cowboys, but against the Chiefs, they were able to hold their ground, which allowed Herbert to take his time and make the right decision. If this offensive line is able to keep up this type of protection, this could go a long way for the Chargers, especially in the playoffs.
This number is important because the Chargers had problems with the offensive line and protecting the quarterback for some of Philip Rivers‘ final years with the team. Last season, the offensive line committed too many penalties, and Herbert was rushed and sacked too many times. So this was an ongoing problem for the team. But since they acquired Rashawn Slater, Corey Linsley, Matt Feiler, and Oday Aboushi, the Chargers seem to have found an above-average to potentially high-end offensive line. Bryan Bulaga is currently on injured reserve but if he can get healthy, the Chargers should be in good shape in this regard. For now, the unit seems to be exceeding expectations thus far and that’s a huge win for the team as a whole.
FOUR
That is the number of turnovers the Chiefs offense committed against the Chargers’ defense. Despite Justin Jones and Chris Harris Jr. being inactive in Week 3, the Chargers defense stepped up, intercepted Mahomes twice, as mentioned earlier, and forced two fumbles — once against Hill and once against Edwards-Helaire. In hostile territory, playoff-like atmosphere, the Chargers’ defense did not get fazed or rattled — they stayed focused until the very end, limited the Chiefs to 24 points, handed them their second straight loss, and returned to Los Angeles with a 2-1 record.
Derwin James and Joey Bosa were in and out of the action, but the team did not lose focus. They remained poised, making the right plays, winnable plays, and as a result, Mahomes went 27-for-44 for 260 yards, throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions. Mahomes has thrown three touchdowns in each of the first three games. This was the first game this season that he threw less than 300 yards and two interceptions thus far.
Most importantly, the Chargers’ secondary was able to keep a roof over the Chiefs’ explosive offense, in a similar fashion that the Ravens did last week. If the defense can keep this momentum up, they will have no trouble defeating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4.
FOUR – Offensive
This is the number of touchdowns thrown by Herbert in Week 3. Herbert broke out of his mini touchdown slump, throwing four touchdowns after he threw two touchdowns in the first two weeks combined. As mentioned earlier, the offensive line allowed just one sack, which benefited Herbert, giving him more time to throw and make the right decision. The result of that was Herbert finding Ekeler, Allen, and Williams twice in the end zone. This is a key number because it concerned some that Herbert could get to the red zone but not get across the finish line.
In a playoff-like atmosphere, we saw a confident quarterback out there against the Chiefs, leading his team to their second win of the season. Not only did Herbert throw four touchdowns, but he also outplayed Mahomes and improved to 2-1 in his career against the Chiefs and 1-1 against Mahomes. The Chargers will face the Chiefs at SoFi Stadium in Week 15, which could give us a better idea as to who may win the AFC West.
The Chargers will face another divisional foe in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium.
The Chargers celebrate their big victory over the division rival Chiefs.