Patrick Mahomes completed 32 of 42 passes for 424 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, and the Kansas City Chiefs held on for a 31-17 win over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon.
Travis Kelce finished with 12 catches for 179 yards and caught the go-ahead touchdown for Kansas City (6-1), which won its sixth straight game. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco also caught one touchdown apiece.
Justin Herbert completed 17 of 30 passes for 259 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Los Angeles (2-4). Joshua Kelley ran seven times for 75 yards and a touchdown and Gerald Everett notched a receiving touchdown.
Both teams traded field goals in the first quarter before combining for five touchdowns during a frenzied second quarter.
Kansas City opened the scoring on Harrison Butker’s 35-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. The Chargers answered on Cameron Dicker’s 55-yard kick on the following possession.
Valdes-Scantling gave the Chiefs a 10-3 lead in the first minute of the second quarter. The veteran wideout hauled in a 46-yard pass for his first touchdown of the season.
Los Angeles pulled even on a 49-yard touchdown run by Kelley with 10:42 remaining in the second quarter. The play marked the longest gain of Kelley’s four-year NFL career.
The Chiefs regained a 17-10 lead when Mahomes found Rice for a 6-yard touchdown on the next drive. Rice caught the ball in the back of the end zone and held on while absorbing a hit.
Once again, the Chargers clawed back to even the score. Everett caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Herbert for his second touchdown of the season.
Mahomes and Kelce connected with 15 seconds remaining in the first half to put the Chiefs up 24-17. From the 1-yard line, Mahomes dropped back on a play-action pass and tossed a low throw to Kelce, who made the catch and got a friendly shove from his teammates to cross the goal line.
The Chiefs increased their lead to 31-17 with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter. Pacheco caught a short pass from Mahomes and sprinted untouched for an 8-yard touchdown.
–Field Level Media
