Chargers sweep Chiefs, eliminating them from playoff contention

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — On a day when the Chargers took a big step toward the playoffs, the Kansas City Chiefs lost their most important player.

What began in balmy Brazil ended Sunday in the freezing cold of Arrowhead Stadium. The Chargers completed a season sweep of AFC West bully Kansas City with a 16-13 victory that finally eliminated the Chiefs from the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

It was the third coldest game in Chargers history — 15 degrees at kickoff — and featured a red-hot defense that paved the way for Los Angeles’ victories over Philadelphia and Kansas City, last season’s Super Bowl teams, in back-to-back weeks.

“It’s a ball “A real ball team,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said, gleeful after his team won for the sixth time in seven games.

This Chargers season, which began with a 27-21 victory over the Chiefs in São Paulo, is only the second in the last 13 years in which they have beaten their division rival twice.

Harbaugh began his postgame remarks on a somber note, wishing the best to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who left the game late in the fourth quarter after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee when he was hit by defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand.

Gardner Minshew closed out at quarterback for the Chiefs, and the game ended when Derwin James Jr. intercepted his final pass. There would be no fantasy ending for the franchise that has won the last nine division titles.

“We’ve been going after these guys for a while, since Baltimore,” said Chargers forward Odafe Oweh, acquired in a trade with the Ravens this season. “This was long overdue.”

A week after Cameron Dicker made five field goals in the win over Philadelphia, he made three more against the Chiefs.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes grabs his left leg after suffering a torn ACL in the fourth quarter.

(Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press)

Oweh had two sacks of Mahomes and Tuli Tuipulotu had two more. The defense put the Chiefs in a hammerlock, limiting them to 190 yards through the air and just 49 on the ground.

Still, the Chargers had to dig themselves out of a hole. They faced a 13-3 deficit late in the second quarter before ripping off 13 unanswered points.

Justin Herbert threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith with five seconds left in the first half to start the comeback. After that it was Dicker and the visitors’ defense.

“It was really cool that we were able to close out a game with a score like that,” said Herbert, who said his surgically repaired left hand was strained in the cold weather but was better, as was his grip on the ball. “How many times have we played them and it was those one-score games? The defense came up with the turnovers and the stops.”

Kansas City, trailing by three, found itself down 17 early in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers once again took over on defense. Linebacker Daiyan Henley intercepted a third-down pass near the goal line, taking a position on running back Kareem Hunt and essentially becoming the play’s receiver.

“I was surprised to see the ball go up in the air, but I had to go back to my receiver days and take a look over the shoulder,” said Henley, who last lined up as a pass catcher six or seven years ago at the University of Nevada, Reno. “Hand-eye coordination is something you have to have in these moments.”

Not everything the Chargers defense did was as smooth. Safety Tony Jefferson was ejected in the fourth quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked Chiefs receiver Tyquan Thornton out of the game. The call to send Jefferson packing came not from officials on the field, who reported him for unnecessary roughness, but from league officials watching from New York.

Earlier in the second half, Jefferson flattened receiver Rashee Rice with another devastating hit, and Rice chased after him as the Chargers safety left the field and headed to the locker room. Players from both sides intervened.

Chargers safety Tony Jefferson leaves the field after being ejected against the Chiefs on Sunday.

(Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press)

In response to boos from the crowd, Jefferson raised both middle fingers, a gesture that will likely draw more attention from around the league.

“I apologize for that,” he said afterwards. “I’m classier than that. I was just caught up in the moment. Emotions are running high. I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m a perfect man. I made a mistake doing that.”

The Chargers, who finish the season in Denver, have yet to lose a single AFC West game this season. They are 5-0 in those games and remain within striking distance of the division-leading Broncos.

It will not be an easy road. The Chargers play at Dallas on Sunday, then host Houston before closing out the regular season against the Broncos.

“I started thinking this was my favorite ball team I’ve ever played on,” Harbaugh said. “I’ve made some good ones. None better than this one.”

“They are close. Their destinies are linked. It’s selfless. Nothing you do is for yourself.”

And on this freezing Sunday, it paid unforgettable dividends.