Kansas City, Mo. — Too many injuries, too many mistakes, and too much time on the clock for an opponent to drive the field for a game winning score. All of that and more helped send the Chiefs to their second straight loss on Sunday, falling to the San Diego Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium, 41-38.
It was the Chiefs first home loss of the season, a loss within the division, which now temporarily puts the Chiefs a half game behind first place Denver. The Broncos play Sunday night in New England.
The Chiefs had just taken a 38-34 lead with 1:22 left on the game clock, when Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers led his team on a 7-play, 78-yard drive in less than a minute. The game winner score came with 0:24 seconds to play when Rivers hit Seyi Ajirotutu with a 26-yard touchdown pass, ending San Diego’s 3-game losing streak.
The Chiefs had lost their top two pass rushers, linebacker’s Tamba Hali and Justin Houston to injuries in the first half. Hali left the game with a spraining ankle, and Houston suffered a sprained elbow. Both players are set to have MRI’s on Monday.
Rivers had an excellent game, finishing with 27 completions in 39 attempts, with three touchdown passes and 392 total yards passing. Kansas City’s Alex Smith threw a crucial interception in the fourth quarter that led to a Charger touchdown, but he also had 294 yards passing, to go along with three touchdown passes.
Chiefs’ running back Jamaal Charles finished with two rushes scored on 14 carries for 115 yards. The Chiefs host the Denver Broncos in a quick turn-around rematch game at Arrowhead Stadium.
