INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Two seemingly conflicting things can be true simultaneously, and that is especially the case in the aftermath of the Los Angeles Chargers’ latest loss to the Kansas City Chiefs . On one hand, the Chargers were missing four of their best players, and their starting quarterback, Justin Herbert , was playing at somewhere far below 100 percent.
Jim Harbaugh’s team still had a chance to take down the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. The Chargers were 3 yards from taking a touchdown lead in the fourth quarter. The score was tied until 6:04 remaining.
The effort was commendable, and there are positives to take away. Advertisement On the other hand, this game was yet another missed opportunity against Patrick Mahomes . Positive developments do not change the result, a 17-10 defeat.
Or that it all unfolded in predictable fashion. “We rose to the occasion,” edge rusher Khalil Mack said. “But it wasn’t enough.
” GO DEEPER Chiefs pummel Justin Herbert but lose Rashee Rice in 17-10 win: Key takeaways It was historically predictable in that Mahomes made one more play at the end to push his Chiefs to victory. This time it was evading pressure, stepping up and hitting tight end Noah Gray for a 29-yard gain to put the winning touchdown drive in motion. Like he did in 2022 when he hit tight end Travis Kelce for a touchdown with 37 seconds remaining.
Like he did in 2021 when he connected with Kelce for the overtime winner. Like he did in 2020 when he s.