Tag: Chargers

Chiefs remain atop AFC West standings following Week 12

The Kansas City Chiefs remain on top after the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos lost their matchups in Week 12.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers both had bye weeks during Week 12. Both the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos played opponents in the AFC and the results didn’t end up too great for either team. The Raiders suffered a 34-3 loss to the New York Jets, and the Broncos fell to the Buffalo Bills by a score of 20-3. The AFC West scored a combined six points in Week 12.

While Week 12 hasn’t ended quite yet, all of the AFC West teams have played their games already. Here’s a look at the standings in the division through the twelve weeks of play:

Place Record Team Next Opponent
1 7-4 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders
2 6-5 Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
3 4-7 Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos
4 3-8 Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles

Week 13 will be a unique week in that each of the teams in the AFC West plays another division opponent. Oakland will go to Kansas City and Los Angeles will travel to Denver.

The Chiefs have a 1.5 game lead over the Raiders heading into Week 13. The story could have been a whole lot different had Oakland won against the Jets. A Week 13 win would only tie things up in the division rather than giving Oakland a lead. Instead of coming into a division rivalry game hot, the Raiders will now be trying to get back on track in Kansas City. It’ll be a tough one given Andy Reid’s tremendous 17-3 career record coming off of the bye week.

The Broncos and Chargers are both playing for draft positioning at this point. Neither team has much of shot at making the playoffs even if they won out the remainder of the season. If Denver gets the win on their home turf they’ll tie things up in the AFC West standings with Los Angeles.

Following Week 12, the Chiefs sit in the driver’s seat to bring home a fourth consecutive AFC West title. It’ll be the first time they’ve won four in a row in franchise history. That’s about the best outcome you could possibly ask for, especially when your team didn’t play a football game this week.

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That feeling about the Chargers and one-score games is real

The Chargers and Philip Rivers always find ways to lose by one score.

This year the internet picked up on the fact that Philip Rivers and the Chargers are always in these one-score games. It was something that always happened like cold weather in the northeast during winter. If the Chargers were playing, Rivers was down seven or fewer points driving with under two minutes to go. We didn’t need proof or stats to that tell us that it always happens. Well, now it’s to the point where the numbers are ridiculous.

That’s only since 2015. Rivers has the most one-score losses by a quarterback in the Super Bowl era with 61. That means almost half of those one-score losses have come in the past four years. That’s ridiculous.

It’s hard to figure out who to blame here. Does Rivers have a preternatural ability to keep games close but blow them in the most heartbreaking way imaginable? Is it coaching? The Chargers had a long stretch of kicker issues.

It’s really unfathomable. Generally, teams that suffer a ton of one-score losses bounce back because that’s how reversion to the mean works. Apparently, statistical rules don’t apply to the Los Angeles — and prior San Diego — Chargers.

Chiefs snap counts, Week 11: Kansas City goes international

What can we learn from the Chiefs’ Week 11 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs got a win south of the border on Monday night. It was a hard-fought victory that saw ups, downs and everything in-between. The Chiefs dealt with some injuries throughout the course of the game but several players also felt the impact of the thin air and altitude in Mexico City.

Here’s how the snaps came down in Week 11:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

  • Austin Reiter was the only offensive lineman that didn’t play the full 68 offensive snaps. He left the game and was evaluated for a concussion after suffering what looked to be a completely different injury. He would later return to the game and finish it out with no problems.

 

  • Stefen Wisniewski played just seven snaps in place of Reiter. It felt like longer, but the Chiefs defense spent a good portion of time on the field while Reiter was getting checked out.

 

  • Rookie WR Mecole Hardman saw the most offensive snaps he’d seen since Week 2 of the regular season. Not having Tyreek Hill out there meant an increased workload for Hardman.

 

  • The running back carries were once again heading to a two-way split between Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy. Both players ended up injured and Darrel Williams swooped in to take the lead with 29 total carries.

 

  • Deon Yelder only received 30 offensive snaps in place of Blake Bell. That means for more than 50% of the game the Chiefs only had one tight end (Travis Kelce) on the field.

 

  • Gehrig Dieter played in three offensive snaps after being elevated from the practice squad on Sunday. He also played 10 snaps on special teams.

 

  • The safety group led the way in defensive snap counts with Juan Thornhill being the only play to play 100% of the defensive snaps. After the game, he said that he felt the altitude difference but battled through it.

 

  • For the second week in a row, Reggie Ragland played just 17 snaps. This was likely dictated by what the Chargers’ offense threw at the Chiefs.

 

  • Frank Clark played in 86% of the defensive snaps and you could tell because he really showed up for the Chiefs. From the first drive, he was making plays that had an impact on the game.

 

  • A week after being inactive, DT Mike Pennel played just 23 defensive snaps. As few snaps as he played, he made quite the statement. He accumulated a sack, three total tackles, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.

 

  • Dorian O’Daniel, Darron Lee and Cameron Erving were all relegated to special teams only snaps. Ben Niemann and O’Daniel tied for the most snaps on special teams with 23.

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5 takeaways from Chiefs’ Week 11 win vs. Chargers

Five things we learned in the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chiefs were able to get back on track with big 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City. In a game where the offense struggled, the Chiefs defense got the job done to improve their record 7-4 going into the bye week.

Here are five takeaways from the victory over the Chargers:

AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu proved their worth

Clark and Mathieu were both dominant at their respective positions and should be given a lot of credit for the victory.

Mathieu’s contributions were huge, especially early in the game, getting the Chiefs their second interception of the night and returning it to the Chargers’ 6-yard line. The interception would set up the Chiefs’ first touchdown, which was important considering how the offense struggled to move the ball during certain points of the game. If Mathieu hadn’t returned the ball on the interception, the Chiefs might never have made it into the end zone before the second half.

Clark had his best game as a Chief. He lived in the Chargers backfield and had a sack, a forced fumble, a pass deflection and multiple quarterback hits. He also deserves some credit for Derrick Nnadi’s interception. Clark had been battling a neck injury, so Monday night showed that Clark was over the injury, or it was at least not affecting him as much as it was earlier in the season.

The large contracts Kansas City paid in the offseason feel a little more worth it now, and Clark and Mathieu will need to continue the great play to keep the defense performing well.

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The morning after a Chiefs Week 11 victory

Grab your morning cup of coffee as we recap and react to the Chiefs’ Week 11 win over the Chargers.

Grab a cup of coffee and join us as we start off our seventh Victory Monday (Tuesday) of the season, Chiefs Kingdom!

Every morning following a Kansas City Chiefs win or loss, a few of our writers here at Chiefs Wire will provide their post-game thoughts and quips. It’ll let you know how we’re all feeling about the Chiefs after covering them on gameday. Gather around and be sure to share your thoughts on the Chiefs with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Charles Goldman

Twitter: @goldmctNFL

The Chiefs needed a win and they got a win. It wasn’t the prettiest win, but I think it was an important one nonetheless. Not because of the playoff implications necessarily, but to see the defense step up into the driver seat and slam the door shut on this game. They waited until the last minute to do it, but they still did it. They allowed no points scored on four consecutive punts by the struggling Chiefs’ offense.

Sometimes you’re not going to fire on all cylinders and have each phase of the game working right. To be able to grind out a win relying on a unit that has really failed to provide much spark all season, well, it gives new life to this team down the stretch. The best part is they get to relish in it for a week before heading back to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Oakland Raiders.

Mitch Carney

Twitter: @MitchMitchcar11

It wasn’t the dominant win that Chiefs’ fans wanted over a division rival, but this was a great win for the Chiefs as they go into their bye week. The offense had a rough game, but it was enough to get the job done. I think the offense should be given a break because so many times the offense has had to carry the defense the last two seasons. I know the offense isn’t going to be the reason why we lose when the playoffs start, so it’s ok that they had a bad game and had to rely on the defense.

The defense maybe had their best game of the season forcing Philip Rivers to throw four interceptions. I’m not sold that it’s going to last. We thought that the defense turned around after the Vikings game, so they are going to have to perform for a couple more games before I get excited about that group.

I did like what Frank Clark was able to do though. Clark was dominant and I think he is finally getting over his neck injury and isn’t playing “soft” anymore. I am really excited to see if he can do it again against the Raiders after the bye.

Max Ramsey

Twitter: @The_Wild_Chief

Man, that was a stressful game. It seems like that is always the outcome when the Chiefs and Chargers play against each other. Clearly there were issues in that game on both sides of the ball, but for now, I’m just looking at the positives.

Patrick Mahomes may not have lit up the stat sheet in the passing game, but he certainly looked like the Mahomes of 2018 with his legs. He moved around with confidence in the backfield and when the play broke down in key situations, he managed to break off some big runs to keep drives alive in crucial spots.

Defensively it was the kind of game I wanted to see. Spagnuolo looked like he understood exactly where their strength was in this matchup, and that was pressuring Rivers. On several plays, you could see that he went with heavy blitz packages basically forcing Rivers to throw the ball quick. Sometimes it worked in his favor for some big plays, but overall it paid off with four interceptions on the day. I love the high risk-high reward style of defense and cant wait to see how they choose to play after the bye week.

Nicolas Roesch
Twitter: @Nicolas_Roesch

I have to give the Chiefs credit for winning an ugly game. Unfortunately, the same issues are lingering over them. Kansas City is committing too many penalties, have issues with ball security and cannot put away teams in the fourth quarter. Four straight punts in a one-possession game are inexcusable. Because of these issues, I still have my doubts as to whether the Chiefs can get to the Super Bowl. I cannot dismiss them, however, because there is still plenty of time left in the season to take things up a notch.

The bye week has truly arrived at the perfect time and could give not only the players a much need rest but the coaching staff the opportunity to figure out solutions to the issues holding this team back.

Danilo Di Julio

Twitter: @ThunderDan88

How about those Chiefs? After being much maligned for allowing an average of 148 yards per game on the ground, Kansas City’s defenders held the Chargers to 93 total yards rushing. Digging deeper, Kansas City went 3-1 versus the Chargers, Vikings, Packers and Broncos giving up an average of 94.5 rushing yards per game. It seems they have a better shot at winning when they can limit the ground game.

The needle is absolutely pointing up for this Chiefs defense who tonight added interceptions to the menu taking away four from the Chargers, and it could’ve been more if Kansas City didn’t gift Philip Rivers a few drops. Enjoy the win and the bye Chiefs Kingdom. We’ll see you in two weeks at Arrowhead Stadium for Raiders Week. Go Chiefs!

Chiefs injury update following victory over Chargers

Andy Reid provided an injury update on Tyreek Hill, Damien Williams, LeSean McCoy and more Kansas City Chiefs players.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided a brief update on some injuries during his press conference after Monday night’s win over the Chargers. Things seemed to still be fluid for several players and he really only had the preliminary information on each injury.

“As far as the injuries go, just real quick,” Reid began. “Tyreek Hill strained his hamstring early in the game. Damien Williams hurt his ribs, they’re looking at those as we go here. Jordan Lucas hurt his shoulder. (Austin) Reiter came out but went back in, and then LeSean (McCoy), I’m not sure exactly all what happened there but something with his head. So I’m not sure exactly what the final decision was there.”

Hill had his strained hamstring after the first series and a few plays into the second series. He eventually returned to the sidelines but he didn’t have his helmet, which suggests the Chiefs shut him down.

As for Damien Williams, his injury looked to be the worst of the bunch. He was squirming in pain on the ground after taking a knee to the chest area. Reid explained that he was getting those looked at and it wasn’t entirely clear if it was the Chiefs training staff or doctors that were doing the looking. Hopefully, it’s only a minor injury such as bruised ribs.

Finally, McCoy left the game late and the broadcast said he’d be evaluated for a concussion. Reid said he wasn’t exactly sure what happened or whether McCoy was actually ruled out and placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol. We’ll have to wait for more information on that one.

The updates on Lucas and Reiter didn’t really provide much new information. All in all, the Chiefs seem to be fairly healthy coming out of this game and heading into the bye week.

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Best Twitter reactions from Chiefs’ Week 11 win against Chargers

The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers Week 11 game helped create some great tweets and we’ve found some of the best!

It took until the final seconds of the game, but the Kansas City Chiefs managed to hold off AFC West rivals the Los Angeles Chargers to take home a needed victory in Mexico City. Thanks to a late interception from Daniel Sorenson, Andy Reid’s men are back on top of the division and still in serious conversations for a Super Bowl appearance.

As Chiefs Kingdom breathes a sigh of relief, here are the best tweets from Kansas City’s 24-17 win against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Injuries aplenty

First, it was Tyreek Hill, then it was Austin Reiter, then it was Jordan Lucas, then it was Damien Williams and the list goes on. The Chiefs could not escape injuries Monday night, and now it leaves more questions than hope about the team’s fitness.

The Mahomes-Kelce connection that broke the internet

Up until the five-minute mark in the third quarter, tight end Travis Kelce was largely silent, with the exception of a few great plays here and there. However, it was the 23-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes that put him back conversation of who was the biggest playmaker of the evening.

Daniel Sorenson saves Chiefs from another embarrassing loss.

Safety Daniel Sorenson had his fair share of struggles on Monday. However, it was his interception off a bad throw from Philip Rivers that he will be remembered for, especially because he saved the Chiefs from not only another tragic loss but also prevented the Oakland Raiders from going top of the table in the AFC West.

The Chiefs are on a much-deserved bye week before hosting the Raiders in another contentious AFC West matchup on December 1.

Key stats from Chiefs Week 11 win vs. the Chargers

A look at some of the numbers that popped out during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

It was a close game, but in the end, the Chiefs came away with the victory. There are lots of great stats in this game to go over so let’s jump right into it. Here are my key stats from the Week 11 victory.

91

We have been tracking this stat for a bit now, but with his first catch of the game, Travis Kelce became the fastest tight end in NFL history to reach 6,000 yards and 450 receptions. He did so in 91 games passing hall of fame tight end Kellen Winslow Sr who achieved this in 94 games. Kelce has become widely recognized as the best tight end in the game right now and continues to add to his resume as one of the best to ever play the game.

3

The Chargers seemingly moved the ball at will in the first half, but the common theme for them in that half was three. No matter what big plays they managed to make in the first half, their only scoring drives ended in three points. At halftime, the score was 10-9 in favor of the Chiefs mostly due to the defensive performance by Kansas City. Their defense gave up some big plays, but never let them in the end zone.

2

While we are talking about the defense you have to mention the first-half turnovers with two interceptions off of Philip Rivers. Both of the big offseason signings by the Chiefs got in on the action and gave Kansas City a lead at the half. The first interception was created by a fantastic rush from the edge by Frank Clark, ripping Rivers’ arm and sending the ball right into Derrick Nnadi’s lap for the pick, and the second was a perfect disguise in coverage followed by an athletic grab by Mathieu setting up the Chiefs for their only touchdown of the half.

11,000

Halfway through the fourth quarter LeSean McCoy took a carry up the middle putting him over 11,000 career rushing yards. Among active players in the NFL that ranks third in career rushing yards behind Buffalo’s Frank Gore and Washington’s Adrian Peterson. While it appears his age is catching up to him, McCoy still has that twitch and vision to make some electric plays when he has the ball.

60

Patrick Mahomes not only achieved a career-high in rushing yards for a game with 60 yards, but he led all Chiefs in that category on the day. On three separate occasions, Mahomes managed to pick up a first down on a third-down broken play. While he may not have had the best statistical passing game, seeing him run to pick up the first downs in this game and how he moved around in the backfield looked much more like the MVP Mahomes from 2018 for the first time this season.

1

Frank Clark had arguably the best game of his career in Kansas City against the Chargers with an exceptional stat line on the day. Clark had one sack, one tackle for a loss, one pass defended and one forced fumble. Clark also deserves credit for the Nnadi interception as well as the dropped interception by Mathieu in the second half as he hit Rivers’ arm on both plays forcing the ball into the hands of the Chiefs defenders. He came up big in a game where the rest of the defensive line seemed a bit lackluster overall.

Chiefs’ Players of the Game in Week 11 vs. Chargers

Here’s a look at some of the best players from the Chiefs’ Week 11 victory over the Chargers.

The Kansas City Chiefs gt back in the win column with a dominant defensive performance in a nail-biter against the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City. The Chiefs forced Philip Rivers to throw four ugly interceptions. Travis Kelce also had an impressive performance and reminded folks why he is one of the best tight ends in the NFL.

Here are your Chiefs’ Players of the Game for Week 11:

Offensive Player of the Game: TE Travis Kelce

Kelce came up big tonight with seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. His performance against the Chargers was even more important for the Chiefs since Tyreek Hill left early due to a hamstring injury. When the offense looked like it was sputtering, Kelce was the one who stepped up and delivered some big plays.

Kelce showed that although he is getting older, he is still one of the best tight ends in the league. He also reached 6,000 yards and 450 receptions faster than any other tight end in NFL history, adding to an already impressive resume.

Defensive Player of the Game: DE Frank Clark

Clark finally had the game that fans have been waiting for since he joined the Chiefs. He put up a dominant performance and was in the backfield all night long. He recorded a sack and a forced fumble, and forced the ball out of Rivers’ hand for an interception right into the lap of Derrick Nnadi.

Clark put so much pressure on Rivers that he was visibly getting mad and yelling at his offensive line. It’s the type of signature frustration from Rivers that always makes Chiefs fans happy. It’s also great to see that Clark doesn’t look to be hurting from his neck injury any longer. Hopefully, he continues to be the game-wrecking defender that everyone thought he would be.

Special Teams Player of the Game: P Dustin Colquitt

Colquitt took advantage of the 7,500-foot altitude in Mexico City. He had six punts for 240 yards, and five of them landed inside of the 20-yard line. Colquitt really makes the most of his opportunities like a true veteran should and it’s great that we can trust him to flip the field position. He’ll continue to pin teams deep in their own territory going into the playoff stretch.

Instant analysis of Chiefs’ Week 11 win over Chargers

Lightning-fast analysis of the Kansas City Chiefs Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

This wasn’t exactly the performance that Kansas City Chiefs fans expected to go into this game. They wanted to see the team come out and execute like the championship-caliber team everyone knows they can be. Instead, it was an uneasy opening half.

Things quickly got rolling for the Chiefs in the third quarter where they had over 120 more yards of offense than they Chargers. When it was all said and done it took the defense forcing multiple turnovers to close out this game and get Kansas City a 24-17 win heading into the bye week.

Awards

  • Chiefs Wire Game Ball: DE Frank Clark
  • Harrison Butker Rookie of the Game: CB Rashad Fenton
  • Casey Wiegmann Veteran of the Game: TE Travis Kelce
  • Otis Taylor Play of the Game: S Daniel Sorensen game-winning interception.
  • Wesley Roesch Stat of the Game: Kansas City Chiefs defense – 4 interceptions.

Quick takeaways

  • This game was just sloppy from the get-go. The field was coming apart as the players ran on it. The Chiefs came out and looked sluggish on offense to start the game. Something just wasn’t right and I can’t exactly place it.
  • How about the big man, Derrick Nnadi, catching an interception. The assist goes to his defensive line teammate, Frank Clark, for putting the pressure on Philip Rivers. It’s good to know that Nnadi has hands to make that catch. Perhaps there’s an offensive play in the playbook with his name on it in the future.
  • Running backs continue to be a huge problem for the Chiefs’ defense in the passing game. They simply don’t have anyone capable of covering running backs. Linebackers, safeties, defensive linemen — it doesn’t matter what position you put in coverage for Kansas City.
  • I can’t be the only one out there that cringes every time Patrick Mahomes scrambles with the football. It was fun last season and even this season before he suffered ankle and knee injuries. Now it just makes me want to close my eyes.
  • LeSean McCoy is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s clear that he’s the most talented running back the team has. On the other, he holds the ball like it’s a bowling ball and is prone to fumbles.
  • Patrick Mahomes is still one of the most incredible quarterbacks in the game. The types of throws that he routinely makes under pressure, with touch and accuracy, it is just uncanny. There’s few who can do what he’s capable of doing even when he has an off night.
  • The Chiefs defense is so perplexing. They largely kept the Chiefs in the game and then one thing goes wrong and they implode. Tyrann Mathieu drops an interception. The following play they give up a fluky holding penalty and set the Chargers up for six. Then they completely blow the coverage on a two-point conversion try. The inconsistency is simply astounding.
  • One defender deserves immense praise tonight and that’s DE Frank Clark. He put together a multi-pressure performance and forced multiple turnovers during the game. He also had a crucial tackle for loss on third down in the fourth quarter. This was the game we all had hoped was coming for Clark.
  • How about the rookie cornerback Rashad Fenton getting his first career interception on a big play in the fourth quarter? That really should cement him as the Chiefs’ starter at the slot corner spot.
  • Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen had an awful no-good sorry night, at least up until the final seconds of the game. In the red zone, Sorensen jumped a wobbly ball from Philip Rivers for the game-winning interception. People will quickly forget about a bad game if you single-handedly close it out and Sorensen did just that.

Up next

  • Following a Week 12 bye, the Chiefs will return to action on Dec. 1 at Arrowhead Stadium fending off the Raiders in Week 13.