Adam Teicher Close ESPN Staff Writer Covered Chiefs for 20 seasons for the Kansas City Star He joined ESPN in 2013 Lindsey Thierry Close ESPN He covered the Rams for two years for the Los Angeles Times He previously covered the Falcons He has covered the NBA and college football and basketball
KANSAS CITY — The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 27-24 on Thursday night as Patrick Mahomes completed 24 of 35 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns to outlast Justin Herbert. Close ESPN Staff Writer
Covered Chiefs for 20 seasons for the Kansas City Star He joined ESPN in 2013
Close ESPN
He covered the Rams for two years for the Los Angeles Times He previously covered the Falcons He has covered the NBA and college football and basketball
Kansas City Chiefs
Jaylen Watson almost seemed like an afterthought when the Chiefs made him their third cornerback selected after taking him in the seventh round this year. Already Watson has become a critical player for the Chiefs. Playing because starter Trent McDuffie went on injured reserve this week, Watson delivered the Chiefs’ biggest game in what could ultimately turn out to be their biggest win of the season. Watson intercepted a pass from Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the fourth quarter and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs beat their AFC West rivals 27-24. When the Chargers took the ball from the Chiefs’ 3, they had a 73 percent chance of winning, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. That probability jumped to 81% for the Chiefs after Watson’s pick-six. Big win: The Chiefs (2-0) are the only undefeated AFC West team, giving them an early advantage in the standings. Buy/sell with breakout performance: Wide receiver Justin Watson caught a 41-yard pass and another ball as he passed rookie Skye Moore on the depth chart based on snap counts against the Chargers. Watson worked well with Patrick Mahomes during training camp, so his play is no surprise. He was most effective during camp in the red zone, where he put his size to good use at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds. Watson should get significant playing time as long as he is the fourth wide receiver, which he clearly was on Thursday night.
1 Related Problematic trend: The Chiefs shortstop offense struggled. He was 1-of-5 on third-and-3 or less. Those struggles led coach Andy Reid to call for a fourth-and-goal from the 1st in the fourth quarter, with the Chiefs trailing 17–14. — Adam Teicher Underrated stat to know: Eight different Chiefs players had at least two catches, tied for most in a game in the Patrick Mahomes era (since 2018). It’s the second time Kansas City has done this in that span. The first also came against the Chargers in Week 3 last season in Kansas City. Next game: at Colts (1 p.m. ET, Sept. 25) Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Chargers
Inside a packed Arrowhead Stadium, where the Week 2 game had a playoff atmosphere, it reminded the Chargers that despite a star-studded season, there is still work to be done to take the AFC West from the six-time defending champion Chiefs. The Chiefs overcame a 10-point deficit to come from behind to beat the Chargers 27-24 on Thursday night. The Chargers knew entering the season that their upgraded roster, which now features All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack and Pro Bowl cornerback JC Jackson, would be tested early by playing back-to-back division games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Chiefs over a period of five days. They went 1-1 and now have an early gauge of what needs to improve to win a division title, or at the very least, get out of the dreaded AFC West. Key play: With 10:43 left, the score tied 17-17 and the Chargers driving at the Chiefs’ 3-yard line, quarterback Justin Herbert threw a pass intended for Gerald Everett that was picked off by the rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson. Watson returned the interception 99 yards for a touchdown to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game, 24-17. On the previous play, Everett gained 26 yards on a catch and run to set up first and goal. But the pick-6 illustrated the growing pains felt between Herbert and Everett throughout training camp. The Bolts signed Everett during the offseason to a two-year, $12 million contract. Everything you need this week:• Full schedule » | Rating »• Depth Charts for Each Team »• Trades » | Injuries »• Football Power Index Rankings »More NFL coverage » Promising trend: The productivity of receiver Mike Williams. Coming off a quiet Week 1 performance (two catches for 10 yards) and with Keenan Allen inactive with a hamstring injury, Williams stepped up in a big way. In the first half, Williams caught a pass 39 yards to set up a touchdown that gave the Chargers a 10-0 lead. Late in the half, Williams made a circus-like play for a touchdown as he plunged in with one hand for a 15-yard score to put the Chargers up 17-7. The touchdown reception had only a 31 percent completion probability, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and was the second one-handed touchdown of Williams’ six-year career. Williams finished with eight catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Amazing stat: Rookie Xander Horvath caught a 1-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to put the Bolts up 10-0. A seventh-round pick out of Purdue, Horvath also had a 1-yard touchdown reception in Week 1’s 24-19 win over the Raiders. Horvath becomes the first seventh-round pick to have a touchdown pass in each of his first two career games since Chansi Stuckey for the Jets in 2008. Stuckey caught a touchdown pass in three straight games to start his career. — Lindsey Thiry Underrated stat you should know: Justin Herbert’s pick-six was rare. He is the only pick this century to enter the red zone in the fourth quarter of a tied game. Next game: vs. Jaguars (4:05 p.m. ET, Sept. 25)
