For the first time since 2014, the NFL postseason will not feature the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chargers eliminated their division rival from postseason contention with a 16-13 victory on a cold day in Kansas City.
To add injury to the insult, quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down with an apparent left knee injury late in the fourth quarter on a drive where the Chiefs could have tied or gone ahead. Mahomes hyperextended his left knee as he was being hit and taken to the ground on a play that ended up not counting due to an offensive holding penalty.
Gardner Minshew came in and moved the chains. But he then threw an interception to Derwin James that ended the contest.
The Chiefs came out with a sense of urgency, scoring on their first drive with Mahomes’ 12-yard run. But the club could not score another touchdown and was shut out for the entire second half. Harrison Butker hit field goals of 27 and 47 yards in the second quarter to close out Kansas City’s scoring.
The Chargers also only got in the end zone once, doing it late in the first half. Justin Herbert connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith with five seconds left in the second quarter to pull the Chiefs within three points at halftime.
Cameron Dicker then connected on field goals of 23 and 49 yards in the third quarter to put the Chargers ahead for good.
The Chiefs had a shot at scoring early in the fourth quarter, getting the ball down to the Los Angeles 17. But Mahomes threw an interception to linebacker Daiyan Henley while looking for Kareem Hunt deep down the right side.
Kansas City’s loss ends a remarkable run for the club, which had only missed the postseason once in Andy Reid’s tenure. With Patrick Mahomes as starting quarterback since 2018, the Chiefs had previously finished no worse than overtime of the AFC Championship Game over the last seven seasons.
Now, the Chiefs will enter the offseason needing to answer a lot of questions moving forward.
With the win, the Chargers are now 10-4 on the season and will be on the road to face the Cowboys in Week 16.
At 6-8, Kansas City will be on the road to face the Titans and may not have Mahomes the rest of the way.
