On Sunday night time, the Kansas City Chiefs pulled out their twelfth win of the season with a last-second subject purpose to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers of their second straight 19-17 victory. That clinched Kansas City’s ninth straight AFC West championship.
Here are some preliminary takeaways from one more backward night time at Arrowhead:
Once once more, simply sufficient is sufficient.
The means that this season has performed out for the Chiefs must be studied.
Every week, evidently the crew finds a brand new technique to make it fascinating, but (virtually) each week, they handle to emerge victorious. On Sunday night time, Kansas City jumped out to a 13-0 lead, solely to give up it within the second half with shaky defensive play and a stagnant offense.
Yet, as soon as once more — someway, someway — the Chiefs did simply sufficient to offer themselves an opportunity to win in the long run. This week’s version took a key mistake by the Chargers on a kickoff that put Patrick Mahomes on the 40.
Rookie Xavier Worthy caught perhaps an important ball of his younger professional profession on third down, resulting in what has change into a well-known sight: Mahomes scrambled to get the crew into field-goal place — substitute substitute kicker Matthew Wright banged a 31-yarder off the left upright to seal the win.
How does this preserve taking place? Is it sustainable?
How may you say that it’s? But in the identical vein, how may you say that it isn’t?
The crew’s apparent weaknesses continued.
The most vital storyline heading into this week’s sport was the insertion of veteran D.J. Humphries on the left sort out place — however for a lot of the sport, it appeared the outcome was the identical: Mahomes had little time to function.
Humphries did appear to be settling in a bit through the second half. But then he went down with a hamstring damage; Wanya Morris got here in to complete the sport. Depending on the damage’s severity, you need to surprise if the Chiefs will herald one more veteran.
In the primary quarter, it appeared that head coach Andy Reid wished to determine the run — however then appeared to utterly abandon it by the center of the sport. Reid solely went again to the run when the crew was enjoying from behind — which is usually the exact opposite of what you’ll count on. The operating sport helped the Chiefs keep within the sport — and finally win it.
It’s value repeating: defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s said purpose is to permit 17 factors or fewer in every matchup, which he achieved once more on Sunday night time. But the near-explosive performs of the primary half turned to explosive performs within the second; the play of the cornerbacks and safeties continues to be an issue.
The defensive backs aren’t getting any assist, both. The entrance 4 can’t achieve constant strain with out sending a blitzer — and with that further time, particularly in opposition to quarterback, manufacturing from the opposition is inevitable.
Kudos to defensive sort out Turk Wharton, who bought house twice — together with the ultimate drive to push Los Angeles away from the top zone. Without his large performs — each early and late — the outcome could have been completely different.
The officers known as eight penalties on the Chiefs for practically 100 yards; in some unspecified time in the future, numbers like that will come again to chew them.
The much-needed room down the stretch.
After sealing their victory in opposition to the Chargers, the Chiefs can speak about it — as a result of it’s actual: earlier than Kansas City took the sphere for “Sunday Night Football,” the Buffalo Bills dropped their Week 14 matchup to the Los Angeles Rams, making them fall two video games behind the Chiefs for the No. 1 seed and bye within the AFC.
That’s useful as a result of the issues we noticed on Sunday may very effectively result in Kansas City dropping a sport. With the cushion supplied by Buffalo’s loss, a single loss received’t have an effect on its playoff seeding. That’s as a result of Buffalo has overwhelmed Kansas City. It owns the tiebreaker — and now, a tie would require two losses.
Last season, the Chiefs had their flaws. But you would at all times level to their elite protection as a cause that they may attain their final purpose. I’m unsure there may be something elite about this Kansas City crew — however week after week, their document continues to say in any other case.
At least for now, that’s all that issues.
