A recent history of the Chiefs rivalry with the Chargers

The Chiefs play the Chargers for the 121st time on Sunday, but what has recent history told us about the rivalry?

The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Los Angeles Chargers, a team with a recently new name, a new quarterback, and a new stadium on Sunday afternoon. While the Chargers roster at prominent positions will look different on Sunday, the Chiefs roster from the last two seasons remains largely the same.

With 60 years of games behind us, let’s take a look at the history of this great rivalry. More specifically, what are some of the recent and memorable performances by both teams?

Overall Record

As the record currently stands, the Chiefs have a slight edge winning 63 of the 120 contests. The story is similar when you look at points. They have a slight advantage for the entire stretch, as they’ve averaged a shade over 22 points where the Chargers have averaged a shade over 20 points.

Those advantages likely came largely as a result of the last seven seasons. Since the Andy Reid era began, things have looked much rosier for the Chiefs. After a rough start, losing the first two games by a combined six points, they have won 11 of the next 12 matchups.

In fact, the only game they’ve lost to the Chargers since 2013 was in 2018. With time running out, the Chargers drove the length of the field for what appeared a game-tying touchdown. Instead, they opted for two, converted it, and went on to win the game.

It was a shocking loss, but fortunately ignited the franchise’s deepest run in the playoffs since the 1993 season resulting in the franchise’s first home AFC Championship game.