The Chargers fell to the Chiefs 22-6 on Sunday afternoon on the road in Arrowhead Stadium. Los Angeles six points on the day, by far their worst scoring output of the season.
Against a stout Chiefs defense, Herbert was chased around the field as he’s become accustomed to in recent years. Despite Kansas City failing to sack any quarterback since Week One, they managed to bring down Herbert four times. Herbert was also picked off for the eighth time this season on a play where he was hit from behind as he threw. The ball sailed nowhere near his intended target and right into the waiting arms of linebacker Jack Cochrane.
Herbert finished with 204 passing yards on 22-of-37 passing with one pick and no touchdowns. It was his sixth consecutive game this season in which he turned the ball over more times than touchdown scored. He also rushed for a team-high 26 yards on five scrambles.
It was another game in which Herbert had to do everything because…well…this is what the Chargers have built around him. Four rookies started once again on the offensive line in front of him. A silver-lining heading into today’s matchup was the return of receivers Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Brenen Thompson, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith.
However, McConkey left the game with a head injury early in the first half and Thompson did not play despite being active. Johnston ended the game with one catch for 57 yards (a bomb from Herbert in which QJ looked like he caught it on accident) while KLS caught a team-high five passes on nine targets for only 32 yards.
There wasn’t much help coming from the ground game, either. Kansas City came in ranked seventh against the run (92.8) and the Bolts managed just 73 yards on 22 carries (3.3). Kimani Vidal led the backs with 21 yards on seven carries while Hampton took seven totes for 18.
Defensively, O’Leary’s unit had to face a Chiefs offense averaging nearly 30.0 points per game and they once again stood tall in moments where most other groups would have faltered. At one point, they stopped the Chiefs and running back Kenneth Walker (19-128-2) at the one-yard line to force a turnover on downs. In all, the Chargers turned the ball over three times (Herbert INT, downs, KLS fumble) and the defense held Kansas City to just one successful field goal, one missed field goal, and an interception of Patrick Mahomes by cornerback Cam Hart.
But what did that do for the offense’s momentum?
Absolutely nothing.
Six points is what the Chargers got. Following three turnovers by the Chiefs, the Los Angeles offense turned it into a pair of punts and a turnover of their own.
The Chargers are now 0-6. They haven’t been 0-6 since the 2000 season when they finished 1-15. There will be no postseason. The potential wins left on the schedule look few and far between. As of Sunday night, the Chargers hold the number one pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The Dolphins, who are also 0-6, sit behind them.
Jim Harbaugh and his team could go into full-on tank mode. If this season truly is a fluke, then the idea of adding a premium player at the top of the draft to a group that won 22 games from 2024-2025 doesn’t sound too bad.
But I think there’s some reality in that scenario that needs to be addressed. The first overall pick is not going to fix what we’ve seen from this offense. It’s not going to fix Justin Herbert’s eight picks or the league-leading 16 giveaways that Mike McDaniel’s unit has coughed up through six games.
Everything is about to be evaluated over the next seven-plus days. Everything should be up in the air at this point. If there’s one thing ownership does not like, it’s a tidal wave of negative criticism. At 0-6, that’s all the Chargers are going to receive this week.
Prepare accordingly for that first domino to fall.
Continue on below for a complete recap of today’s game.
First Quarter
The Chiefs offense was up first and they came out of the gate throwing.
On their first play from scrimmage, Mahomes found receiver Xavier Worthy for a gain of 33 yards, but it was called back due to an illegal block in the back by tight end Travis Kelce. That still gave the Chiefs only a first-and-five which was quickly converted on another pass to Worthy for 15 yards. That was then followed by a 13-yard carry by Kenneth Walker on his first touch of the game.
A holding call on Chiefs left guard Trey Smith brought Kansas City back to a second-and-18. Mahomes only found tight end Noah Gray for 16 yards on third-and-18, so Harrison Butker came on to convert from 44 yards out and give the Chiefs an early 3-0 lead.
The Chargers’ first drive of the game was a quick three-and-out that definitely did not look the way they drew it up.
On first down, Herbert threw a designed swing to Omarion Hampton into the right flat but the play was snuffed out immediately for a loss of one. On second down, Herbert booted to his left after a handoff but Chiefs edge rusher George Karlaftis was in his face immediately and Herbert’s pass attempt to Keaton Mitchell in the flat was deflected.
Herbert then tried to check the ball down to running back Kimani Vidal on an angle route but the pass went straight into the helmet of left tackle Travis Burke which led to an incompletion.
The Chiefs only needed six plays to find the end zone for the first time. On third-and-one from the Chargers’ 33, Walker broke through a pile of bodies up the middle and outraced cornerback Tarheeb Still into the end zone. Butker missed the extra point so Kansas City led 9-0 about halfway through the quarter.
On the Chargers second drive of the game, the offense found some life. Herbert got it started with a 17-yard pass to wideout Ladd McConkey. A pair of Vidal runs and a Derius Davis jet sweep combined to move the chains a second time for the Chargers.
After a pair of six-yard scrambles by Herbert, the Bolts had first-and-10 from the Chiefs 11-yard line. They managed just six yards from there which led to a Cameron Dicker field goal from 23 yards out. That made it a one-score game at 9-3.
Second Quarter
The Chargers defense stepped up to begin the second quarter by forcing a punt from the Chiefs after a DPI call on cornerback Deane Leonard. After the flag brought Kansas City to midfield, they allowed just eight yards and got the stop on third down.
On second-and-three at the Chiefs 42-yard line, Herbert threw his eighth interception after trying to whip a ball to receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith while being sacked. The ball did not have enough power behind it and it floated short of KLS into the arms of linebacker Jack Cochrane who returned it 48 yards the other direction. There was a flag on the play, but it ended up being an illegal formation penalty on the Chargers which was declined.
A fate would have it, the Chargers defense stole it right back. On the fifth play following the LAC turnover, Mahomes threw a desperate attempt to the back of the end zone but cornerback Cam Hart dropped off his assignment to undercut the pass for his second interception of the season.
A four-yard Hampton run was followed by a one-yard trot by Mitchell to begin the next LA drive. On third-and-five, Herbert found wideout Theo Wease for seven yards with a toe-tapping grab on the right sideline. After initially being called incomplete, the Chargers challenged the call and won.
On the ensuing third-and-nine, Herbert scrambled for seven yards after being stopped in his tracks by linebacker Nick Bolton which forced another punt.
The Chiefs got back into the end zone via another run from Walker. This time, from the two-yard line, Walker received the handoff and reversed field aided by a Mahomes block on Tuli Tuipulotu before prancing in for the score.
After forcing another Chargers punt, Mahomes took the Chiefs offense straight into field goal range with less than 40 seconds remaining in the half. As we’ve seen him do time and time again before the end of a half, Butker was good from 50 yards out to make it 19-3 before the break.
Third Quarter
The Chargers began the second half with one of their longest drives of the day.
On a third-and-12 from their own 42-yard line, Herbert escaped the pocket and drifted left before launching a moonshot to Johnston who somehow caught it with a Chiefs defender draped over him. That set up the Chargers with first-and-goal from the KC one-yard line.
Unfortunately that high was short-lived thanks to a holding penalty on center Jake Slaughter which backed the offense up 10 yards. From there, they only went backwards.
A shovel pass to Vidal went for negative one yard. A second yard pass to Oronde Gadsden II was threaded perfectly between two defenders for a touchdown but the ball sailed through the second-year tight end’s hands. On third down, Herbert simply threw a short slant to KLS but it was dropped. Dicker came on to salvage three points.
Mahomes and the Chiefs knifed through the Chargers defense on their first drive of the half, moving all the way down to the LAC eight-yard line in just three plays. The front seven of the Chargers buckled down, however, and came up with a huge stop on fourth-and-one to force a turnover on downs.
Unfortunately, backed up to their own end zone, the Chargers tried and failed to gain much room for a safer punt, nonetheless a full drive.
On the punt by Scott, the Chiefs returner fumbled after being tackle by Troy Dye and it was recovered by the Chargers on their own 41. But even with all the space to work with, Herbert and Co. could not find any momentum. The Chiefs got their first sack of the game on second down via Ashton Gillotte. A one-yard pass on third down unsurprisingly led to another punt.
Before the end of the quarter, the Chargers defense clamped down once more to force a three-and-out by the Chiefs. Derius Davis also had his best return of the day as his 21-yard return put the Chargers in favorable field position at their 38-yard line.
Fourth Quarter
The Chargers faced a fourth-and-six from the Kansas City 43-yard line still down 19-6. Jim Harbaugh chose to roll the dice and go for it in the hopes of spurring on a fourth-quarter comback.
McDaniel rolled with a natural pick play, using KLS on a shallow slant to run underneath both Johnston and Wease in hopes of getting several of the Chiefs defenders to run into each other. Unfortunately KLS was caught by the ankle too soon and his last second reach for the marker came up about six inches short.
Luckily for the Chargers, Kansas City could not turn it into points as Butker missed wide right from 52 yards out.
Instead of seizing the momentum from the Chiefs turnover, the Chargers wound up turning it over themselves.
On a third-and-one, Herbert took the snap and threw to his right to KLS. With two blockers ahead of him, KLS stuck his foot in the ground to get up field. Just after crossing over the first down marker, KLS collided with Johnston’s shoulder which popped the ball loose. Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill recovered and it was Kansas City ball at their 38-yard line.
Kenneth Walker once again streaked through the Chargers defense with a pair of strong runs to help the Chiefs get into the red zone swiftly. As they have come to do in most situations like this one, the Chargers defense shut the door on Mahomes and forced yet another field goal from Butker. He was good from 30 yards out to push their lead to 22-6.
The Chargers went on an 11-play drive in the waning minutes of the game, but ultimately turned it over on downs as Herbert was hit while attempting a fourth down pass at the Kansas City eight-yard line.
Kansas City knelt out the remainder of the clock as the Chargers fell to 0-6.
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