Chiefs survive with wild game-winning FG vs. Chargers on 'Sunday Night Football': Live reaction and updates

 

The Chiefs entered Sunday with 14 consecutive victories in games decided by one score, the longest streak in the NFL’s 105-year history. But even a routine game-winning kick was weird. Wright’s field goal was good but the ball hit the inside of the left upright before touching the net, a moment that led starting kicker Harrison Butker — who is out with a left knee injury — to smile and laugh.

As the Chiefs aim to capture an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory, this season has been about the team’s last-second victories. Including Sunday, half of the Chiefs’ 12 victories this season were decided on the final play — Butker’s game-winning kick over the Cincinnati Bengals, linebacker Leo Chenal’s block in the win over the Denver Broncos, kicker Spencer Shrader’s field goal over the Panthers, running back Kareem Hunt’s touchdown in overtime over the Buccaneers and Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely’s right big toe being out of bounds instead of a touchdown as time expired.

Inserting D.J. Humphries, the eight-year veteran, at the left tackle position didn’t fix the Chiefs offense. Instead, Humphries did his best to help stabilize the offensive line. But Mahomes was hit 14 times by the Chargers and Humphries left the game with less than four minutes left because of a hamstring injury.

Similar to last week, the Chiefs scored only one touchdown, which happened just before halftime. Given the circumstances, though, Mahomes was still brilliant at times, especially when he was hit or about to get hit.

Mahomes made sure the Chargers never got the ball again when he rolled to his right on a critical third-and-7 play from the Chargers’ 20-yard line after the two-minute warning. Mahomes waited long enough — and avoided linebacker Daiyan Henley — to find tight end Travis Kelce for a nine-yard completion, setting up the game-winning field goal from Wright.

                                           

The Chargers defense played a valiant game, holding the Chiefs to 19 points. But the unit ran out of steam on the final drive. The Chiefs took over with 4:35 remaining. They did not give the ball back.

The Chargers had their chances. The Chiefs faced a third-and-10 on the first set of downs. The Chargers lost track of receiver Xavier Worthy over the middle of the field, and Mahomes was able to find him with an acrobatic throw amid pressure. The Chargers had kept Mahomes contained in the pocket all game. He escaped on a second-and-eight scramble to move the Chiefs into field goal range. Late in the drive, the Chiefs faced a third-and-7. Mahomes booted to his right off play action. No one covered Kelce, and Mahomes dumped it to his favorite target for a game-sealing conversion. Kelce had 45 yards on the game.

The Chargers slowed him down. But they did not get a body on him on the game’s most pivotal play. Kicker Cameron Dicker’s botched kickoff before the final drive did not reach the landing zone, and that gave the Chiefs prime field position to start the possession. The Chargers made too many mistakes down the stretch to beat a team who knows how to win.

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