Was there ever any doubt?
The Kansas City Chiefs, the best team in the NFL this season at winning close games, clinched their ninth consecutive AFC West division title and continue to control their path to the AFC’s top playoff seed by prevailing 19-17 in a back-and-forth “Sunday Night Football” matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Their streak of division titles is the second-longest in NFL history, trailing only the 11 straight New England won from 2009 to 2019.
The Chiefs (12-1) improved to 10-0 in games decided by one score or less this season. They have also won 15 consecutive one-possession games dating to last season, including the playoffs.
After the Chargers (8-5) kicked a field goal to lead 17-16 with 4:35 left in the fourth quarter, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes marched his team down the field and extended the drive with a key third-down completion to tight end Travis Kelce with two minutes remaining.
From there, Kansas City got the ball in position for Matthew Wright to kick a 31-yard-field goal for the win — a kick that bounced off the left upright but at an angle that sent the ball still through the goalposts.
Chargers players held their helmets in their hands on the field. Wright, the third kicker used by Kansas City this season, made all four of his field goal attempts.
The Chargers trailed 13-0 at halftime but took the lead with 14 points in the third quarter. The teams would combine for five lead changes But Mahomes ultimately walked off a winner, as he so often has.
He is 35-5 against AFC West opponents in his career, the best winning percentage in divisional games in NFL history with a minimum of 30 starts. And Mahomes has particularly bedeviled the Chargers, improving to 10-2 in his career.
Facing a Chargers defense that allows the fewest points per game, Mahomes threw for 210 yards and one touchdown while being sacked three times. Kelce caught five passes for 45 yards.
“SNF“ blog: Look back at how the game unfolded
After the Chargers failed to score on all six of their first-half drives, quarterback Justin Herbert was surgical after halftime, leading his team to points on all three of its drives in the second half. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown while also being sacked three times. Yet like every other Chiefs opponent this season that has found itself in a close game late, the Chargers could only watch as Mahomes willed his team to a win in the final seconds.
Around the league
- Josh Allen had one of the greatest games in NFL history and still lost. The Buffalo Bills quarterback threw for three touchdowns and ran for another three touchdowns — the first time in NFL history that has happened — and it wasn’t good enough as his team fell 44-42 to the Los Angeles Rams. Buffalo dropped to 10-3, while Los Angeles improved to 7-6.
- For those who want to discount the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings, do so at your own peril. On Sunday they demolished the Atlanta Falcons 42-21 against former quarterback Kirk Cousins. Vikings signal caller Sam Darnold threw for 347 yards and five touchdowns — three to Jordan Addison and two to Justin Jefferson — en route to the convincing victory.
- Two starting quarterbacks left games early: New Orleans’ Derek Carr and Las Vegas’ Aiden O’Connell. Carr sustained a left hand injury and a potential concussion in the fourth quarter of a 14-11 win against the New York Giants. O’Connell, meanwhile, was carted off with a knee injury in the third quarter of the Raiders’ 28-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
