KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Clanks for the memories.
New kicker Matthew Wright lifted the Kansas City Chiefs to a 19-17 victory over the Chargers on Sunday night with a 31-yard field goal that miraculously ricocheted through the uprights.
Another wild adventure for the Chiefs, who secured their ninth consecutive AFC West title with a familiar cover-your-eyes finish.
“Seems like games are getting closer and closer,” Kansas City linebacker Drue Tranquill said. “You’ve got to find a way to win those.”
But this is getting ridiculous. The Chiefs’ last four victories have been by a combined nine points. They knocked off Denver, Carolina, Las Vegas and the Chargers and easily could have lost any of those.
In their last 15 games decided by a touchdown or less, the Chiefs are 15-0.
The Chargers, meanwhile, are the photo negative. They are winless in their last 11 games decided by three points or fewer. They haven’t won one of those in two seasons.
The Chargers might have a pinpoint quarterback in Justin Herbert, but they lack a killer instinct. That’s an unchecked box on coach Jim Harbaugh’s to-do list.
Consider the way Sunday night’s game unfolded down the stretch:
A Cameron Dicker field goal gave the Chargers a one-point lead with four minutes, 35 seconds remaining, but the visitors would never touch the ball again.
The Chiefs got a big boost when Dicker botched the ensuing kickoff, booting a knuckleball that failed to reach the landing zone, thereby allowing Kansas City to begin the final drive on its 40-yard line.
Patrick Mahomes played keep-away the rest of the game. He methodically guided the offense down the field, compelling the Chargers to use all three of their timeouts.
And on the play after the 2-minute warning, with the Chargers unable to stop the clock, Mahomes converted a third-and-seven with a nine-yard pass to All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. He had found a soft spot in the defense and dropped to the ground, catching the ball while on both knees.
“That was a play where you give Pat the ability to get out of the pocket and make a play with his arm or his legs,” Kelce said. “We’ve got to find a way to get a first down, so I just improvised a little bit after the initial route, and Pat was right on cue to get it to me.”
Improvise a little bit?
“He was supposed to run a corner route, so…” deadpanned the quarterback, knowing Kelce ran nothing of the sort.
But that’s where experience kicks in. Close games or not, the Chiefs have players who know how to come through when they’re needed and slam the door. Remember, three times in the last four years, Kansas City overcame 10-point deficits to win the Super Bowl.
Mahomes might needle Kelce for running the wrong route yet having everything turn out right, but the two have immense respect for each other.
“Without getting emotional, he’s a guy who really kind of made me who I am in my career,” said Mahomes, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player. “True security blanket. He’s someone I can go to at any moment and he’s going to make a big play happen.”
On the same night the tight end’s superstar girlfriend, Taylor Swift, finished her two-year Eras Tour in Vancouver, B.C., Kelce reached 12,000 yards receiving in fewer games (172) than anyone in league history.
“He plays on the same wavelength that I do, and it’s hard to do that,” Mahomes said. “It seems like since that first day I’ve kind of been on the same page as Trav. Seeing him work every day, everybody sees the personality and on TV and stuff like that. But you don’t see the everyday work ethic that he has. He’s a guy that gets mad when they take him out of practice reps.”
That kind of stuff is contagious in a team setting. The Chiefs expect to win close games. They have won three games this season with walk-off field goals — and by three different kickers.
The last time another franchise won the AFC West was 2015, when Peyton Manning guided the Denver Broncos to a division crown (and eventual Super Bowl win).
This stuff doesn’t happen by accident. The Chiefs might seem like they’re teetering on a tightrope every week, tempting fate. But there’s a science to it. They win. That’s what they do.
