Four areas that stood out in Chiefs' season-opening loss to Chargers

Chiefs' sluggish start ultimately leads to defeat

The Chiefs came out flat in the first half of Friday’s night game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and it cost Kansas City a 27-21 season-opening loss.

Los Angeles took advantage of the Chiefs’ sluggish start, which included the offense going 0-7 on third-down efficiency through the first two quarters, by taking a 13-6 halftime lead.

The uphill battle continued for the Chiefs in the second half, as the Chargers never gave up the lead.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes kept the Chiefs in the contest by scoring on an 11-yard run and throwing a 37-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, though, answered each Chiefs touchdown with touchdowns passes to wide receivers Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston.

Mahomes proved a bright spot in the game, completing 24-of-39 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown for an 89.5 passer rating.

He helped account for three explosive plays – defined as 20 yards or more – through the air with a 49-yard completion to Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, a 38-yard connection with wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, and the 37-yard scoring pass to Kelce.

Mahomes also had a highlight-worthy play when he escaped the pass rush and flicked a pass to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster while falling parallel to the ground.

But Mahomes’ magic wasn’t enough to prevent the Chiefs from falling to 0-1 to start the season, marking just the second such start to a regular season since Mahomes became the full-time starter in 2018.

And this defeat comes against an AFC West opponent.

“It wasn't good enough,” Mahomes told reporters after the game on the Chiefs’ performance. “I think just in general they came out with more energy than we did -- their defense and our offense.

“So, we didn't execute. I missed some throws down the field. And obviously we didn't play good enough in the first half.”

Meanwhile, here are four areas that stood out.

ABSENT RUNNING BACKS

Mahomes had a vintage performance through the air, but he also put his legs to work.

The Chiefs signal-caller rushed for a team-high 57 yards and a touchdown on six carries (9.5 yards per attempt).

Meanwhile, Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, two players who are paid to play the running back position, combined for 41 yards on 10 carries.

As a team, the Chiefs rushed 17 times for 98 yards and a touchdown (wide receiver Xavier Worthy had a carry for no yards).

“We'll keep working on the run game and make sure we can get our yards per carry up a little bit higher with the running backs,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters after the game.

The Chiefs were reportedly interested in adding to the running back position late in training camp, and Friday night probably shows why.

LIFE WITHOUT WORTHY

Worthy’s night came to a quick ending after just three plays.

The second-year wide receiver went down with a shoulder injury on the Chiefs’ first possession when he collided with Kelce on a short underneath crossing route.

Losing Worthy so early in the matchup adversely affected the Chiefs’ game plan.

Play-by-play commentator Rich Eisen and color analyst Kurt Warner pointed out on the broadcast that Chiefs coach Andy Reid told them in the days leading to the game that the offensive game plan involved plays designed for Worthy.

Without Worthy on the field, the Chiefs were forced to adjust, and this contributed to the slow start.

“That's someone that's a huge part of our game plan and someone that we're counting on to go out there and make plays against some of the man coverage that they played,” Mahomes told reporters. “I thought guys did a good job kind of stepping up in those roles. But you could tell it took us a little bit to get going.”

Reid told reporters that Worthy will have an MRI on the shoulder when the Chiefs return to Kansas City.

The Chiefs are already without wide Rashee Rice, who is serving a six-game suspension, so any missed time from Worthy will test the wide receiver group.

LEAKY PASS DEFENSE

The Chiefs’ cornerbacks consisting of Trent McDuffie, Kristian Fulton and Jaylen Watson were tested early and often, and the trio didn’t exactly pass the test.

Herbert carved up the Chies’ pass defense, completing 25-of-34 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions en route to a 131.7 passer rating.

The Chargers quarterback connected with eight different receivers, and two of his touchdown passes went to Johnson, who finished the game with five catches for 79 yards on seven targets.

Allen found multiple open spots on the field as Herbert’s dependable safety valve. The veteran receiver hauled in seven catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Ladd McConkey chipped in with six catches for 74 yards, while tight end Tyler Conklin had two catches for 50 yards.

The Chiefs managed three sacks against Herbert, but it wasn’t enough to slow him down.

Herbert also rushed for 32 yards on seven carries, which included a game-sealing 19-yard scramble for a first down on a third-and-14 situation late in the game. With the Chiefs out of timeouts, Herbert’s three kneel-downs ended the contest.

SO MUCH FOR CRACKING DOWN

Kelce and Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart exchanged pleasantries after a play in the third quarter.

Kelce shoved Tart, who retaliated by throwing an open-handed slap and striking Kelce across his facemask.

Tart’s response seemed to be exactly the type of unsportsmanlike conduct the NFL wanted to come down on this season, and it could have warranted an ejection.

But the on-air broadcast’s rules analyst, Terry McAulay, explained that NFL officiating and rules analyst Walt Anderson said the action wasn’t a “disqualifying action” because it didn’t involve a closed fist.

Instead, the Chargers were penalized 15 yards for Tart’s action.

Tart made the most of his time on the field the rest of the contest by making two impact plays, which played a role in the final score.

He deflected a pass to deny the Chiefs a two-point conversion attempt after Kelce’s touchdown in the fourth quarter, and then Tart knocked down a pass intended for Brown on the Chiefs’ final drive.