For the 9th time in as many years, the Kansas City Chiefs have won the AFC West. But it was the first division title to come with a doink.
The Chiefs defeated their division rival, the Los Angeles Chargers (8-5), with a last-second field goal, which bounced off the goal post and in, securing the win for the second time in three weeks. The final score was 19 to 17, the exact same score as the score between the Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders last week on Black Friday.
The 12-1 reigning champs have won 10 of their games by a touchdown or less, and haven't won a game a by more than seven points since October.
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Kansas City's nine straight division titles are two short of the New England Patriots' NFL record of 11.
After the game, cornerback Chris Jones saw his team's close wins as a positive, saying they keep the team prepared for the playoffs.
"We know that every game is going to be tight," Jones said. "We know that every game is going to be a similar atmosphere."
NFL
"It may come down to a field goal to end the game," he added.
The Chiefs led 13-0 at halftime after the Chargers punted on their first five possessions, but Justin Herbert and LA woke up in the second half, scoring on each of their three drives. Cameron Dicker's 37-yard field goal put the Chargers ahead 17-16 with 4:35 left.
Mahomes then went to work, hitting Xavier Worthy for 14 yards on third-and-10 and scrambling for another first down. After the two-minute warning, Mahomes scrambled, dodged a would-be tackle and lobbed a throw to a kneeling Travis Kelce that allowed the Chiefs to run the clock down to zero.
Mahomes was 24 of 37 for 210 yards and threw a 9-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins late in the first half for Kansas City's only touchdown.
Herbert went 21 of 30 for 213 yards and a TD.
Mahomes was sacked three times and has taken 13 sacks over the past three games, the most of any three-game stretch in his career.
The Chargers opened the second half with a 13-play, 79-yard drive that concluded with Gus Edwards' 3-yard touchdown run. Following a Chiefs punt, the Chargers then went 74 yards on four plays, aided by 39-yard pass interference penalty on Justin Reid, to take a 14-13 lead. Herbert found Quentin Johnson for a 4-yard touchdown, the Chargers' first TD pass in 13 quarters.
The Chiefs responded with Wright’s third field goal, this one from 50 yards after an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty against Trey Smith pushed Kansas City back.
The Chiefs settled for Wright's 47-yard field goal on their opening drive, during which Mahomes passed Dan Marino for the most passing yards in the first eight years of a career.
Late in the second quarter, Herbert was hit by Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton, forcing him to miss a play and leading to the Chargers' fifth punt. The Chiefs responded with a 9-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Hopkins' TD catch.
Kansas City's halftime lead was its largest of the season and it shut out an opponent in the first half for the first time.
Receiving royalty
Kelce finished with 45 yards receiving and has 12,010 in his career, trailing only Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten among tight ends.
Injuries
Herbert missed only one play after the hit by Bolton after trainers looked at his left leg. Taylor Heinicke replaced him. ... TE Will Dissly left the game with a right shoulder injury in the third quarter. ... WR Jalen Reagor was hurt in the third quarter.
Chiefs T DJ Humphries left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.
Up next
Chargers: Host Tampa Bay next Sunday.
Chiefs: At Cleveland next Sunday.
