Around the AFC West: KC Chiefs wrap up division (basically)

Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers

Heading into this game, I’ll admit, I was nervous. Reports that both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were going to be back from injuries coupled with the Chiefs being down JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman gave me a queasy stomach.

Look, I think the Chiefs can handle whatever is thrown at them, but the Chargers were a desperate team on Sunday. With a win, their hopes of challenging for the AFC West remained alive, but a loss essentially secured the division for the Chiefs. A desperate team is a scary team, plus the Chargers always play the Chiefs close. I had a feeling it would come down to some heroics at the end.

I was right. But for me, the biggest takeaway from the game was not the incredible connection between Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. We are in awe of that every week and it is something we see frequently. Rather, for me, it was how the young guys stepped up. Kadarius Toney went down early and what happened? Skyy Moore, someone Chiefs Kingdom has been down on, came up big time and time again. Props to Skyy.

https://twitter.com/RJLockedIn/status/1594556081405329410

Isaiah Pacheco is another star. His explosiveness and elusiveness were wonderful and I see a bright future for this young back. He bolstered a much-needed running game that opened up the passing game. The Chargers covered receivers well and without his contribution, the game could have been much different.

The Chargers just left too much time in the end, though, and Mahomes did what he always does. When I saw we had just about 2 minutes left, I knew it was over. I actually wondered if we might score too quickly and we almost did. With 30 seconds left, Justin Herbert was given the opportunity to drive down to kick a game-tying field goal but the defense stepped up and sealed it with a Nick Bolton interception.

The Chargers now have to hope that the Chiefs either lose out or that they sneak into the wild-card spots for the playoffs. A disappointing season outcome for a team many (most) thought would challenge the Chiefs for the AFC West crown. They will need to be nearly perfect for the remainder of the season.

Next week, the Chargers, sitting at .500, travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. The Cardinals are just returning from a whopping by the 49ers down in Mexico with the hopes that Kyler Murray will return. If not, we get another Colt McCoy game (and I all but seal the fantasy football win…my opponent has Kyler). The Chargers should handle this one because the Cardinals aren’t that good, but stranger things have happened. (Saudi Arabia upsetting Argentina in the World Cup comes to mind!)

The Chiefs, play host to the defending Super Bowl champion Rams. The Rams are a shell of who they were last year and may be missing Matt Stafford if he is unable to go due to concussion protocol. The Chiefs need to be careful not to look past this game and handle their business to keep their hold on the AFC West and the AFC. They are in the driver’s seat and if they play as they did on Sunday, this team could see another Lombardi.