NFL, Week 2 – The Chiefs win the clash against the Chargers

The 2^th day of the regular season began tonight with a clash in the AFC West division. Long led, the Chiefs managed to reverse the trend on a defensive action by a rookie, and they won the first round of this duel. Touched but not sunk, Justin Herbert gave everything.

The movie of the game

It’s not often that the Chiefs start with 2 punts, and that’s what happened in this game. Sharper, the Chargers open the scoring on their first possession, with a field-goal (0-3). In the rhythm, the attack goes on well, and a nice pass from Justin Herbert for Mike Williams brings LA to the gates of the opposing in-goal to conclude the 1^er quarter.

The Bolts quickly break in the 2^th quarter, with a touchdown from rookie Zander Horvath (0-10). Kansas City finally reacts, first with a long gain from Mecole Hardman, then with another reception from Travis Kelce which brings the Chiefs into redzone. Patrick Mahomes thus offers us a signature touchdown, with a small side arm pass for Jerrick McKinnon (7-10). The end of the second quarter ended with an exchange of punts.

In possession of the ball to start the 3^th quarter, the Chargers are advancing well, with a balanced game. Austin Ekeler advances the team on the ground and in the air, then Mike Williams shows up with several receptions including a magnificent one for the touchdown (7-17). Behind, Kansas City passes very close to 2 interceptions, but even in difficulty, Patrick Mahomes finds the solution with a touchdown pass for Justin Watson who beats his defender in depth (14-17). Behind, the Chiefs defense raises the tone and almost forces a safety. Kansas City inherits a good starting position after the punt, Travis Kelce again brings the attack to the redzone, but the Bolts hold on and only concede a field-goal (17-17).

The start of 4^th quarter is good for Los Angeles, with 2 receptions from Gerald Everett which bring the goal closer. But the rookie safety Jaylen Watson arises for the interception and offers a pick-6 from 99 yards to give Kansas City the first advantage of the game (24-17). After an exchange of punts, Justin Herbert takes a big blow in the ribs and has to go out briefly to catch his breath. The quarterback and the Chargers are tough. Clyde Edwards-Helaire took the opportunity to find a breach and sign a run of 67, which resulted in a field-goal (27-17). Despite the obvious pain, Herbert finds the resources to continue, and he shows incredible calm to find Joshua Palmer on 4th down in the in-goal (27-24). Alas, the Chiefs recover the onside kick and secure the victory.

Patrick Mahomes helped by a rookie

Sparkling during the 1^time day against the Cardinals, Patrick Mahomes was much more embarrassed by a good Chargers defense. He could have been intercepted 3 times yesterday. The Chiefs’ attack was thus much less efficient, and had to punt much more often than usual. But the QB still rewarded us with several class actions, especially on his 2 touchdowns.

To get the win, the Chiefs were able to count on a rather unlikely contributor. On the field due to the absence of starters, safety Jaylen Watson turned into an overnight hero when he emerged to intercept a pass from Justin Herbert and score a touchdown from 99 yards. A pick-6 key from a player selected at 7^th round of the last Draft.

Justin Herbert in difficulty but combative

Excellent in the first game of the season, Justin Herbert again showed great things yesterday, with over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Chiefs. But the quarterback had a complicated second half, especially after the injuries of two starting linemen: Corey Linsley and Trey Pipkins. More often under pressure, he had less time to throw and he took more hits. On one of those shocks, delivered by Mike Danna, Herbert struggled to get up and had to leave the court for one set to recover. Affected in the ratings, he was clearly bothered by the pain for the rest of the meeting. But despite his injury and the pick-6 launched a little earlier, he didn’t give up and even found the resources to score a touchdown late in the game. Let’s hope for the Chargers that their quarterback fully recovers in the next 10 days.

Match stats

The next meetings

Perfectly launched, with 2 wins in 2 games, the Chiefs have two trips over the next few days. In 10 days, they go to Indianapolis, before traveling to Tampa the following Sunday.

For the Chargers, having 10 days off will allow Justin Herbert to recover. Then, the schedule is rather lenient for LA, with the reception of Jacksonville then a trip to Houston.