(Getty)
Final Score
Chargers 0-7-0-0 — 7
Chiefs 3-13-3-0 — 19
The Chiefs Won, But it Wasn’t Enough
The Chiefs did their part in trying to make the playoffs today, but so did the Ravens. The Kansas City win knocked the Chargers out of the final AFC wildcard spot, but moved the Ravens in.
While the majority of the Chiefs’ points came from field goals, they were enough to beat the Chargers.
Justin Houston was unable to break Michael Strahan’s record of 22.5 sacks in a season, finishing with 22 for the year. Rivers wasn’t as kind to Houston as Brett Favre was to Strahan.
Chase Daniel maintains his perfect 2-0 record in NFL starts, the first of which came last season in Week 17 against San Diego. He went 16/27 for 157 yards.
Jamall Charles rushed for 54 yards, and Travis Kelce had 84 yards receiving and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Rivers finished the game 20/34 for 291 yards and two interceptions. Branden Oliver rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown, and Donald Brown added 39 yards. Eddie Royal had 95 yards in the game.
Read on for highlights and go here for a full box score.
Chiefs Struck First
The Chiefs scored the game’s first points on a 43-yard field goal by Cairo Santos on the team’s first drive of the game.
Scoring drive summary ending with Cairo Santos’ 43-yard field goal. #SDvsKC http://t.co/QXXrdvcoTJ
The Chiefs Thought They Had Their First Receiving Touchdown by a Wide Receiver This Season
Chase Daniel came in and did what Alex Smith couldn’t do all season — he threw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver. Dwayne Bowe caught it from 11 yards out.
The Call Was Changed, Still No Touchdowns for Wide Receivers
The call was reversed and ruled a fumble by Bowe at the goal line and recovered in the endzone by Travis Kelce.
Scoring drive summary ending with Travis Kelce’s 1-yard fumble recovery. #SDvsKC http://t.co/WVEN14EvFD
Chargers Matched it With a Touchdown of Their Own
Branden Oliver scored on a 1-yard rush to get the Chargers on the board in the middle of the second quarter.
The Chiefs Increased Their Lead
The Chiefs add to their lead with a 21-yard field goal late in the half. The drive started with a 41-yard punt return by De’Anthony Thomas to the 8-yard line.
21-yard FG by @cairosantos19 is GOOD! It is his 23rd of the year.
The Chargers Didn’t Look Ready for Playoffs
The San Diego Chargers don’t look like a team fighting for a playoff spot. The defense and offense have both been lacking. They’ve given up almost 200 yards through the first half alone on defense and Philip Rivers is only 4/7 for 93 yards and an interception.
They’ll have to put together a second half similar to last week if they hope to get into the playoffs.
End of the 1st half. #SDvsKC
#Chargers 7
#Chiefs 16 http://t.co/hGmqLt4Wga
The Chiefs Scored Again
The Chiefs are showing they’ll do whatever they can to stay in the playoff hunt despite losing Smith to a lacerated spleen, even if it’s just a sting of field goals. They increased their lead with a 31-yarder from Santos.
Scoring drive summary ending with Cairo Santos’s 31-yard field goal. #SDvsKC http://t.co/9oxzLTNzdV
The Chiefs Added Another Field Goal
The Chiefs make it a two-score game just before halftime with a 27-yard field goal made by Santos with under a minute to go in the half.
The FG is up and GOOD by @cairosantos19! He is now 3 for 3 on the day.
San Diego Missed a Field Goal Attempt
The Chargers missed a 52-yard field goal attempt, leaving the Chiefs 12-point lead in tact and giving them excellent field position to start the fourth quarter.
Kansas City Also Missed a Field Goal
The Chiefs missed their first field goal of the game, making up for the Chargers missing theirs and giving San Diego the ball around midfield.
The Chargers Couldn’t Convert on Fourth Down
San Diego was knocking right at the goal line but couldn’t get through Kansas City’s defense. The Chiefs are still up by two scores in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Fourth and NO.
This is a must-win game for two teams looking to keep their seasons going into 2015.
For the San Diego Chargers (9-6) it’s win and in. The Kansas City Chiefs (8-7) need to win and have the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans lose to lock up the second AFC wildcard spot.
While the Chiefs have a bigger hill to climb to make the post season, the Chargers are heading into the game with a battered Philip Rivers. Kansas City, on the other hand, will be playing without Alex Smith, who has a lacerated spleen. Chase Daniel will make his second career start in Smith’s place.
While Kansas City has a slim chance at continuing its season, it might be able end San Diego’s.
Keep it here for highlights and score updates throughout the game.
