Chiefs win and now they’re back in business
By John Buhler
The Kansas City Chiefs hold on vs. the Los Angeles Chargers down in Mexico City by picking Philip Rivers off four times to stay in control of the AFC West.
The Kansas City Chiefs needed a win badly. Frankly, so did the Los Angeles Chargers. With them squaring off in Mexico City of all places on Monday Night Football in Week 11, only one of them was going to come out of this primetime affair victorious. It really came down to which quarterback played better.
Though Patrick Mahomes was fine, completing 19-of-32 passes for 182 yards with one touchdown and an interception, as well as five carries for 59 yards, Philip Rivers was an interception machine for the Chargers. He threw four picks on Monday night, as the Chiefs needed to haul in every single one to stay atop the AFC West from the fast-charging Oakland Raiders.
This was not an easy win for the Chiefs. Both teams had to play at over 7,000 feet above sea level and on turf that shouldn’t have been suitable for a high school game. Yet, the more composed team prevailed. Mahomes may not have been his MVP self, but he didn’t force a ton of throws in a game that didn’t call for it. Rivers, however, cost the Chargers the ball game, 100 percent.
So you could say that the Rivers lost it more than the Chiefs won it and you wouldn’t be wrong, but Kansas City being able to beat a division rival without an A-plus performance means they’re probably back to being a contender in the AFC.
That’s not to say that the Chiefs a favorite to come out of the AFC right now, as we’ve seen better football out of both the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots this season. However, Kansas City can build on this game and get ready for the Raiders in two weeks coming off a bye. If the Chiefs beat the Silver and Black in Arrowhead, that should essentially win them the AFC West.
From there, the Chiefs should be able to win a home playoff game on Wild Card Weekend over a team like the Raiders, the Buffalo Bills or whoever doesn’t win the AFC South between the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts. After that, Kansas City should have a team that can compete with the Ravens and the Patriots to maybe get to the Super Bowl.
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In short, Kansas City is back in business with a division win over the reeling Chargers in Estadio Azteca. Just win Sunday, or in this case, just win Monday and you’ll be fine. Kansas City is far from a perfect team, but this was one of the Chiefs’ better performances in a long time. They’ll need to string a few of these together if they want to get back to the AFC Championship in January.