A recent history of the Chiefs rivalry with the Chargers

The Comeback

One of the most memorable Chiefs Chargers matchups came rather recently. The Chiefs were fresh off a season in which they had won a team record 11 straight games, made the playoffs for the second time in three years, and had won their first playoff game since the 1993 season.

They came up short against the New England Patriots, like so many other teams, but optimism was high now that the playoff drought had ended. Nearly the entire first three quarters of the first game of 2016 were a shock back to reality.

The Chiefs took an early lead of 3-0, with Cairo Santos booting a 47-yarder through the uprights in the first quarter. Unfortunately, the next two-and-a-half quarters were brutal. The Chiefs found themselves down 24-3 with 6:02 left in the third quarter. Having only scored 3 points in almost three quarters, the writing appeared to be on the wall.

Suddenly, the Chiefs exploded. In the next 20 minutes the Chiefs hung 24 points on the Chargers, Alex Smith leading the way with two touchdown passes and Spencer Ware capping off regulation with a five-yard touchdown run, to tie the game.

In overtime, the Chiefs won the toss and the Chargers never saw the ball again. Alex Smith, in one of his more heroic moments for the franchise, drove the team down for the game winning touchdown. His jubilation following the score produced one of the most iconic images in recent memory for the Chiefs, outside of the recent Super Bowl championship.

The Barn-Burner

The 1980s were an incredibly rough decade for the Chiefs. Throughout the decade, the Chiefs lost far more games than they won to the tune of 66 wins and 84 losses. For fans who’ve endured those kind of stretches, they understand the meaning you get from each season often comes simply at the chance to beat your rivals in spectacular fashion.

The 1986 Chiefs were given such an opportunity. Led by a tandem of Todd Blackledge and Bill Kenny, the Chiefs found themselves in a slug-fest with the Dan Fouts led Chargers. While neither Chiefs quarterback played particularly well, it was the defense and special teams that carried the day.

Future Pro Bowler Lloyd Burruss had himself a career day, hauling in three interceptions and returning two for 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On special teams, Kevin Ross would make his mark scooping up a fumble and returning it 21 yards for the score.

The Chiefs would squeeze out a victory, in what would be the highest scoring game in the rivalry’s history, winning the game 42-41. In a decade replete with losing, this win was especially big, as it helped the Chiefs reach the playoffs for the first time in 15 seasons and the only time during the decade.

The Goose Eggs

The Chiefs defense has held the Chargers to zero points four times in the rivalry’s existence – 1960, 1973, 1978, and 1999. In those games the Chiefs won by a impressive average margin of 23.25 points per game.

The largest margin of victory came in the second contest of the 1999 season, in which the Elvis Grbac led Kansas City Chiefs avenged a loss earlier that October by pummeling the the Jim Harbaugh led Chargers 34 to nothing.