Chiefs defense comes up big on night offense sputters in 24-17 win over Chargers
The Kansas City Chiefs took an unconventional route to secure a 24-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football.
Instead of quarterback Patrick Mahomes leading the way, he and the offense took a back seat to an impressive defensive showing to make up for Mahomes totaling a career-low 182 yards passing in a single game.
The Chiefs defense stole the show, totaling four interceptions, two sacks and seven quarterback hits on Chargers signal-caller Philip Rivers, while keeping LA out of the end zone in four first-half trips. The Chiefs’ interceptions marked the most in a single game since Week 5 of the 2018 season.
When the dust settled, the Chiefs defensive players had plenty to take pride in, especially knowing they could be a reason the team won.
“We want to go out in a game and not have to rely on Patrick to seal the game,” said defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, who had one of the team’s four picks. “No disrespect to him, but we as a defense got to carry our load. So, when it came down to it, we were able to do it.”
Rooke safety Juan Thornhill agreed on the defense picking up the slack.
“It was big,” Thornhill said. “If you don’t have the best time on the offensive side of the ball, you got to rely on your defense. And when your defense steps up and makes plays, you can come out victorious because you don’t have to put up a lot of points.”
Defensive end Frank Clark led the charge Monday night and came up with two big plays in the fourth quarter on third-down plays to force Chargers’ punts. The first play saw Clark sack Rivers, and the second play resulted in Clark dropping running back Austin Ekeler for a 1-yard loss on a third-and-3.
Clark had plenty of help, too, as cornerback Rashad Fenton and safety Daniel Sorensen each had an interception in the fourth quarter. Nnadi and safety Tyrann Mathieu each recorded a pick in the first half.
“I was real proud of our defense for the job they did,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Frank Clark probably jumps out at you for the job that he did; he had a heck of a game.
“Four takeaways, the guys that intercepted the football, and then helped create the turnovers. Again, I’m proud of those guys for the job they did there.”
What went behind the dominant defensive surge?
Turns out how the Chiefs lost in Week 10 with an inablity to stop the Tennessee Titans in a 35-32 loss provided plenty of fuel to turn the page against the Chargers.
“There were plays all over the field from the front seven to the back end,” said Sorensen, whose interception near the end zone sealed the game with 24 seconds remaining. “We stepped up when we needed to. There was big motivation because we weren’t able to close out the game last week. To finish this one, we had the opportunity.”
In the meantime, the Chiefs (7-4) can enter the bye week feeling good about themselves given how they emerged with a divisional win despite a less than stellar effort from the offense.
There won’t be any bragging rights in the locker room, though, as the Chiefs were all about a team mentality.
“A lof the times, the offense, we got each other’s backs,” cornerback Charvarius Ward said. “So, if we’re playing bad, they’re going to pick us up. If they’re not playing great, we’ll pick them up. We’re partners, we’re teammates, so we got each other’s backs.”
Mahomes echoed Ward’s sentiment.
“I think the biggest thing is as a team — offense, defense, and special teams — we knew that someone was going to make a play to win the game,” Mahomes said. “And we just believed in each other.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Chiefs defense comes up big on night offense sputters in 24-17 win over Chargers."
