KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs needed a player to make a play with the Los Angeles Chargers knocking on the door in the fourth quarter for a potential go-ahead touchdown in a tied game.
Rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson obliged.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw a pass to tight end Gerald Everett near the end zone. But Watson stepped in front of Everett, picked off the pass and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown.
Watson’s effort secured the Chiefs a 27-24 win over their divisional rival at GEHA Stadium at Arrowhead Stadium.
An early-season showdown between the two AFC West juggernauts did not disappoint, and the game saw momentum swings on both sides.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (235 yards, two touchdowns) thrilled the crowd with a sidearm throw to running back Jerick McKinnon for a 9-yard touchdown, while Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns.
The teams exchanged heavy blows throughout the game, and the Chargers jumped out to a 10-0 lead behind Herbert’s precision passing.
With wide receiver Keenan Allen inactive with a hamstring injury, Herbert’s favorite target was wide receiver Mike Williams. The Chiefs’ cornerbacks had no answer for Williams, who tormented the Chiefs and finished the game eight catches for 113 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets
Mahomes, however, made sure the Chiefs would fight it out against their divisional rival.
After the Chiefs’ first two possessions ended in punts, Mahomes engineered a seven-play, 70-yard drive, which he capped off with the touchdown pass to McKinnon to close the gap to 10-7. The Chiefs then fell behind 17-7 in the third quarter before Mahomes worked his magic again.
Facing a third-and-10 midway through the quarter, Mahomes stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure and threw a dart down the field to wide receiver Justin Watson, who got behind Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson for a 41-yard touchdown.
Mahomes finished the game completing 24 of 35 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He connected with nine different receivers for a second straight game, and tight end Travis Kelce led the group with five catches for 51 yards.
Defensively, Watson stole the show with his pick-6 but the Chiefs received a strong outing from multiple defenders.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones totaled three tackles and a team-high two sacks, while linebacker Willie Gay led the Chiefs defense in tackles with 11, which included two for a loss.
The Chiefs snapped the Chargers’ two-game winning streak at Arrowhead Stadium, and improved to 2-0 on the season. The Chargers are now 1-1 and a game behind the Chiefs in the division.
Here’s what else stood out in the Chiefs’ season opener:
Tackles do their jobs
Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and right tackle Andrew Wylie knew they had their work cut out for them squaring off against Chargers pass rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa.
And for the most part, Brown and Wylie held serve.
Mack split a sack with linebacker Drue Tranquill in the first quarter, but that was it for a Mack, who totaled three sacks by himself in Week 1. Bosa totaled two quarterback hits in the game, but the Chiefs tackles did a good job of ensuring Mack and Bosa would not be a factor in the game.
Fenton struggles
Cornerback Rashad Fenton has seen better starts, but Thursday night wasn’t one of them.
Fenton drew two pass interference and defensive holding penalties in the first half, both occurring on the Chargers’ scoring drives.
How bad was it?
On the Chargers’ second touchdown drive, Fenton drew two flags on a single play. He was penalized for defensive holding, and then pass interference near the goal line while defending wide receiver Mike Williams, who hauled in a 39-yard catch. The Chargers declined the penalties, and then scored two plays later when Herbert connected with fullback Zander Horvath on a 1-yard touchdown pass.
The Chiefs are down starting rookie Trent McDuffie, who landed on injured reserve earlier in the week with a hamstring injury. Fenton can’t have lapses on the field like he did Thursday with McDuffie expected out a minimum of four weeks.
Emergency kicker works out
With Harrison Butker (ankle) inactive, the Chiefs elevated kicker Matt Ammendola from the practice squad to handle kicking duties.
Ammendola came through in the emergency role, connecting on two field goals and three extra points.
If Butker’s ankle prevents him from playing in Week 3, the Chiefs should feel comfortable with their temporary solution.
Injuries
Defensive end Mike Danna suffered a calf injury in the fourth quarter and did not finish the game.
Wide receiver Mecole Hardman briefly left the field in the third quarter. He limped to the trainer’s table, where an athletic trainer re-taped Hardman’s left foot/ankle area. Hardman was able to return and finished the game with three catches for 49 yards.
Not suited up
Butker, running back Ronald Jones, quarterback Shane Buechele, offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, defensive end Joshua Kaindoh and defensive end Malik Herring and linebacker Jack Cochrane were inactive.
Up next
The Chiefs travel to Indianapolis in Week 3 to take on the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
