Battle for AFC West all but over? Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs take down Chargers to secure the sweep
The big, bad AFC West. The division that houses Russell Wilson, Davante Adams, and Khalil Mack - none of whom play for the Kansas City Chiefs. That doesn't matter, though; not when you have Patrick Mahomes under center.
Fans across the NFL waited patiently for the 2022 season to start. With several Pro Bowlers entering the division this offseason, all eyes were on the AFC West. Three squads from the division ended their 2021 campaign with a record above .500, and two of those three teams improved greatly.
Or so it seemed.
Both the Chargers and Raiders added multiple All-Pros to their already impressive roster. Unfortunately, things haven't gone as planned for either team.
Kansas City, on the other hand, picked up right where they left off despite losing a pair of All-Pros; wideout Tyreek Hill, and defensive back Tyrann Mathieu.
For the second time this season, Kansas City came out on top against the Los Angeles Chargers. Like the first meeting between the two squads, their latest contest came down to the wire as the two Pro Bowl quarterbacks battled it out.
Justin Herbert logged 280 yards through the air on 23-for-30 passing. The 24-year-old also ended his day with a pair of passing touchdowns. Meanwhile, the 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes totaled 329 passing yards with three touchdowns, each scored by All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.
Trailing 20-23, the Chargers' offense took to the field with 6:47 left in the fourth quarter. Herbert and company marched down the field, and with 1:48 left on the clock, Los Angeles punched it in for six to take a 27-23 lead.
The problem is, 1:48 is too much time for Patrick Mahomes.
Wasting no time, the Chiefs were able to score a touchdown of their own with 31 seconds remaining. Mahomes found Travis Kelce, and the tight end was able to complete the hat trick.
THAT LOOKS FAMILIAR @TKELCE https://t.co/yrDxt42lNq
Now on defense, Kansas City had 30 seconds to prevent the Chargers from taking it the distance. An interception later, they did just that, proving to still be the top dogs in the AFC West.
Now with an 8-2 record, and the tiebreaker against the 5-5 Los Angeles Chargers, the battle for the division is all but over.
The Chiefs' remaining schedule includes multiple contests against sub-.500 teams
While the battle for the division is just about finished, it hasn't yet become set in stone.
The Chiefs could leave the door open for the Chargers if they lose more than half of their remaining seven contests. Don't hold onto that thought too much, though; Kansas City has a very favorable upcoming schedule.
As it stands, only two teams left on the schedule have a record north of .500. Others have three or fewer wins.
Patrick Mahomes has his say on #Chiefs teammate and close friend TE @tkelce 🗣️ (via @MySportsUpdate)
#NFL #ChiefsKingdom https://t.co/njl0GckN9d
Kansas City will have to face off against both the Bengals and Seahawks in the coming weeks. These are two teams above .500, with the two squads currently sitting at six wins through ten contests.
The showdown vs. Cincinnati will take place on the road, but the Seahawks will travel to Arrowhead for their contest against KC.
Then there are the Rams, Texans, Raiders, and Broncos (x2), each well below the .500 mark.
Los Angeles [Rams], Las Vegas and Denver all have three wins apiece, with Houston having one single victory to their name. To mathematically eliminate all other AFC West teams, the Chiefs only have to win four of these games - assuming they drop both contests against their two 6-4 opponents.
Of course, during this timeframe, the Chargers will have to pile up wins while Kansas City continues to sink in for the door to be kept open. Unfortunately, for the Justin Herbert-led team from Los Angeles, contests against the no.2 and no.3 seeds in the AFC remain on the schedule.
It seems impossible for the Chiefs to let the division slip from underneath them, but as we all know, Any Given Sunday.