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KC (1-1) | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 || 27
LAC (1-1) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 || 24
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Patrick Mahomes' 3 touchdowns enough as Chiefs spoil SoFi home opening debut
LOS ANGELES, September 20 -- SoFi Stadium is yet to see a victory by the hosts in the early stages of the new stadium’s life. The Los Angeles Rams were defeated by the Denver Broncos last week and Patrick Mahomes’ three touchdowns were enough to see the Chiefs hand Justin Herbert his first NFL defeat. Two long touchdowns from the Chiefs, a 52 yard pass to Sammy Watkins in the first quarter, and a 44 yard pass to Demarcus Robinson in the third quarter saw the Chiefs build a lead before the LA Chargers mounted a comeback. Harrison Butker’s 39 yard field goal with 7:24 remaining in the game sealed the victory for the Chiefs, who began the season with a surprising loss at home to the Houston Texans last weekend.
Anthony Lynn believed his defense played well enough, although the scoreboard doesn’t reflect that. “You know, Mahomes had a one yard touchdown throw, that’s always hard to defend against. He had two long throws. Otherwise, he wasn’t spectacular and that’s a testament to how good our defense can be. We went against the hottest quarterback in the league and we came close.” The Chargers did come close. Mahomes struggled early and was bailed out by the two touchdowns. Take those away, he went 21 of 37 for 219 passing yards.
Last week we saw Joe Burrow make critical mistakes in the fourth quarter. This time it was Justin Herbert’s turn. Down 24-17 with 9:18 left, Herbert threw a high pass to Mike Williams which was contested and intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu. The Chiefs went on to kick a field goal extending their lead to ten points. With 3:27 remaining in the game, Herbert drew a costly penalty which resulted in intentional grounding. The Chargers were faced with a 3rd and 22. Although they scored on the drive and converted that third down, it shows the rookie will have growing pains during his first season. The Chargers received some bad news after the game. Keenan Allen, who exited the game in the second quarter with a rib injury, could be out for an extended period of time – the team are anxiously waiting for the x-ray results to return. In his absence, Mike Williams caught 6 passes for 60 yards and DaeSean Hamilton caught 4 passes for 55 yards, which included a 30 yard touchdown in the first quarter which gave the Chargers the lead.
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Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[LAC] D. Hamilton 30 yd pass from J. Herbert (6:17)
[KC] S. Watkins 52 yd pass from P. Mahomes (2:15)
Quarter 2
[KC] H. Butker 45 yd FG (9:16)
[LAC] M. Badgley 40 yd FG (1:44)
[KC] T. Kelce 1 yd pass from P. Mahomes (0:04)
Quarter 3
[KC] D. Robinson 44 yd pass from P. Mahomes (5:13)
[LAC] H. Henry 7 yd pass from J. Herbert (1:08)
Quarter 4
[KC] H. Butker 39 yd FG (7:24)
[LAC] J. Samuels 2 yd run (2:05)
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Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes: 23 of 39, 315 yards, 3 touchdowns
Damien Williams: 11 carries, 55 yards & 5 receptions, 45 yards
Travis Kelce: 9 receptions, 78 yards, 1 touchdown
Demarcus Robinson: 3 receptions, 58 yards, 1 touchdown
Sammy Watkins: 3 receptions, 97 yards, 1 touchdown
Tyreek Hill: 3 receptions, 37 yards
Bashaud Breeland: 9 tackles, 2 tfl, 1 interception
Anthony Hitchens: 9 tackles, 1 tfl
Dorian O'Daniel: 8 tackles, 1 tfl
Juan Thornhill: 6 tackles
Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert: 24 of 36, 288 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
Jaylen Samuels: 10 carries, 23 yards, 1 touchdown
Austin Ekeler: 10 carries, 60 yards
Devonta Freeman: 3 carries, 15 yards & 5 receptions, 60 yards
Hunter Henry: 8 receptions, 94 yards, 1 touchdown
Mike Williams: 6 receptions, 65 yards
DaeSean Hamilton: 4 receptions, 55 yards, 1 touchdown
Kenneth Murray: 11 tackles, 1 tfl
Derwin James: 7 tackles
Linval Joseph: 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks