The Chargers defense was effective for nearly the entire game before failing to make a stop on the final drive in Sunday night’s 19-17 loss to the Chiefs.
“Just gotta finish the game,” Daiyan Henley said, per the team’s official website.
They had their chances, however.
It started with a kickoff penalty on Cameron Dicker, which allowed the Chiefs to start at their own 40.
On 3rd-and-10, Patrick Mahomes connected with Xavier Worthy for a 14-yard gain to move the chains.
A few plays later, on 3rd-and-7 at the Chargers 20, Mahomes evaded an attempted open-field tackle by Henley and hit a wide-open Travis Kelce for nine yards and the first down to let the clock bleed.
“We thought it was likely [they would throw],” Jim Harbaugh said. “We predicted a couple of those, the roll pass early. But just executed, it wasn’t a surprise or a shock.”
Matthew Wright’s 31-yard field goal hit off the left upright and in for the win as time expired.
It was the same story, just a different day with Mahomes getting the ball at the end of the game.
The Chargers held the Chiefs to less than 300 yards of total offense. Mahomes was kept contained for most of the game and sacked three times, but that doesn’t matter when you can’t close out Kansas City.
“We gotta be ready,” Derwin James said. “As a defense, we want to be on the field, we want that challenge and I feel like we didn’t make the plays in the third and fourth quarter to get off the field.
“I know looking at the tape, we’re going to be sick to our stomach,” James added.
