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How could they lose that game?
How could the Kansas City Chiefs fall to the San Diego Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium, leading 38-34 with a minute to play and the Chargers backed up on their own 22-yard line?
Easy. They played like garbage. No excuses.
There has been plenty of talk about how the Chiefs managed their offensive possession which led to the go-ahead touchdown, so let's discuss that. Anybody who thinks Kansas City should have purposely run the clock down before scoring is lost. Completely and utterly lost. This is the NFL, you score when you can score, and you rely on the defense to do their job.
Suggesting that Kansas City should waste downs to run out the clock is asinine. It is a loser's mentality that reeks of being scared. The offense did its job, it stepped up and made huge plays. Anybody blaming the loss on them scoring too quickly needs to re-think their position.
Alex Smith made a beautiful throw to Dwayne Bowe who made a circus, one-handed catch. It should have been the game-winner with only 1:20 left on the clock. Instead, it will be forgotten. Why? Not because too much time was left, but because the Chiefs defense folded like a cheap suit.
However, there is one very legitimate gripe during that touchdown drive. What the hell was Andy Reid doing calling a timeout with 15 seconds left on the play clock? He has been an NFL head coach since 1999. I don't want to hear about him making a mistake. That is flat out inexcusable. Anybody on this site would have had the sense to let the clock run down.
Still, this dumpster fire of a game falls on the defense. I don't care if Justin Houston and Tamba Hali were out. [Hali and Houston updates here.] With so little time and so far to travel, San Diego should have been cooked whether or not they were on the field.
The game was lost because of a horrific attempt by Sean Smith to tackle Danny Woodhead, Woodhead getting open again on a blown coverage, Eric Berry taking (and yes, it was a good call) a pass interference call, and Quintin Demps being awful on the final play, along with Smith having bad coverage. Both of them get blame.
When your offense scores 38 points, the only place to point blame is at the defense. The Jacksonville Jaguars held the Chargers to 24 points, and trust me, they don't have talent like the Chiefs even without Hali and Houston.
This game shows me why Kansas City is a good, but not elite team. No way in the world do the Seahawks, Saints, Broncos or Patriots lose that game at home. Not a snowball's chance in hell, even with injuries. New England beat Denver without Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork, its two best defensive players.
How could that happen? Sure, some wind helped, but the Patriots manned up and played football. They made plays and stopped the Broncos when they needed to. The Chiefs couldn't stop the lowly Chargers at home.
No excuses.
