After week one, it seems the Kansas City Chiefs may be heading into a slump after a mildly dominant 21-27 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers. While the score looked close for the most part, the Chargers were having their way till late in the game, but Mahomes’ magic was nowhere to be found throughout the night.
“It’s monumental,” said Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. “September 5th will go down in some Charger lore, in my opinion. It was a big win.”
Keenan Allen added, “Big win. 1-0 to start the season, 1-0 in the division. It was a home game for us, so it’s always good to get a win against the Chiefs.”
As the second half waned on Friday night, the Chargers saw their lead cut to 13-12, only to respond with a touchdown.
And when the Chiefs cut it to 20-18? Another touchdown drive.
A late Chiefs field goal cut the lead to six points before the Chargers offense put the game on ice.
In fact, the Chargers never trailed Friday night in Brazil.
Each time the Chiefs threatened to seize momentum for good, Harbaugh’s squad had more than enough juice left in the tank.
The Chargers had a questionable receiving core heading into the season, with only second-year player Ladd McConkey as the only sure thing. Keenan Allen was signed before the last preseason game, in which he didn’t play. Quentuin Johnson has underperformed to this point in his career, and two rookies, Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, were playing in their first game; there were a lot of questions. The important questions were answered at various points during the game. Allen looked like vintage Allen, scoring a touchdown and converting key catches. McConkey picked up from where he left off last season. The surprise of the night was Johnson, as he had five catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns, looking like the receiver many hoped for coming out of college. Thanks to his core, Justin Herbert completed 25 of 34 passes for 318 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
It was his first 300-yard, three-touchdown game since Week 10 of the 2023 season against the Lions.
“Just making sure I got the first down and stayed in bounds,” Herbert said. “Just making sure that we did everything we could to get that first down, milk the clock, and end the game with the ball.” Herbert, who slid to stay in bounds and keep the clock moving, finished the night with 32 key rushing yards.
“You can’t go 2-0 unless you’re 1-0,” Harbaugh said of his team’s effort. “Our guys really prepared for it; they worked extremely hard, and just throughout the course of the game, you could tell our guys weren’t going to be denied.”
The Chargers now prepare for the Las Vegas Raiders for a Monday night division showdown.
