This game didn’t start off the way that the Kansas City Chiefs had intended, but they kept at it on both sides of the ball for a full four quarters. Because of that fact, the results of the game turned out exactly as the team intended. Now, they have sole possession of first place atop the AFC West and a 2-0 start to the 2022 NFL season.
Buy Chiefs TicketsSo what else did we learn about the Chiefs in their first home game of the 2022 NFL season?
Final Score: Chiefs 27, Chargers 24
This team showed a lot of character on a short week in an early-season AFC West game. At one point they were down by ten points and they were struggling to get anything going, but they battled back in every phase of the game to get the win. There were some key players who stepped up in key moments, including rookies, newcomers and the saltiest of Chiefs veterans. This is the type of performance that the team can build off of moving forward.
Weekly Awards
- Chiefs Wire Game Ball: CB Jaylen Watson
- Harrison Butker Rookie of the Game: CB Jaylen Watson
- Casey Wiegmann Veteran of the Game: LB Willie Gay Jr.
- Jamaal Charles Offensive Player of the Game: WR Justin Watson
- Bobby Bell Defensive Player of the Game: DT Chris Jones
- Morten Andersen Special Teams Player of the Game: P Tommy Townsend
- Otis Taylor Play of the Game: CB Jaylen Watson’s 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.
- Wesley Roesch Stat of the Game: Chiefs 4-of-12 on third down.
Quick-hitting observations and analysis
- The Chiefs had some momentum on offense early in this game, but it quickly got out of hand. Their opening drive suffered from the offense getting just a bit too cute on third down. Getting behind the sticks is a drive killer because the Chargers were just able to pin their ears back.
- The defense was really struggling with Mike Williams early on, surrendering five receptions for 76 yards in the first quarter alone. They eventually adjusted and had more success against him, but a lot of the damage was already done.
- It felt like it took too long for the Chiefs to really let Patrick Mahomes do his thing. It felt like they were trying to protect him from hits by getting the run game going, but it came at the expense of establishing rhythm on offense.
- The Chargers were really getting a ton of consistent pressure on Patrick Mahomes for the majority of the game. Andrew Wylie and Orlando Brown Jr. struggled mightily to contain Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Even the interior offensive line struggled at times to handle the different blitzes and stunts.
- Tackling was generally not great for Kansas City today, but especially early on in the game. A lot of times the guys took good angles, but came in too hot. They went for the big hit instead of the sound hit.
- Really gutsy performance by Mecole Hardman in this one. He seemed to hurt his heel after a collision and got it taped up and came back into the game. He made a key third-down conversion.
- Justin Watson vs. J.C. Jackson turned out to be a mismatch for the Chargers’ No. 1 cornerback. Who would have thought?
- Derwin James going full-on WWE on Travis Kelce seems like something that should have been penalized.
- Rookie CB Jaylen Watson had a game-changing play in the fourth quarter with a 99-yard interception returned for the touchdown. The defense was lifeless (as was the crowd) for most of the night. He changed the tides for that team.
- The defensive line started getting pressure late in the game when Corey Linsley and Trey Pipkins left with injury. That said, Chris Jones put on just a herculean effort in the second half.
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire recorded a 52-yard carry, the longest of his NFL career. He looked quite spry on the play too.
- The third-down offense today wasn’t great for Kansas City. They didn’t see many third downs in Week 1, so I expect that’s something they’ll look to work on.
- Matt Ammendola did a nice job as he was 3-of-3 on extra points and 2-of-2 on field goals. I think he’ll get a Super Bowl ring, should Kansas City win the big game in February.
- Tommy Townsend also had an insane day punting the football with a 55.5-yard average.
Up next:
The Chiefs have ten days of rest before they go back on the road to face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3. It’s the first time these two teams have played since 2019. Former Chiefs executive Chris Ballard brought in a brand-new veteran QB in former Falcons QB Matt Ryan this past offseason.
