The Chiefs blasted past the Chargers on Saturday to score a second straight win over a fellow AFC West front-runner and close in on the division title.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The four-game losing streak that threatened their season now seems so long ago for the Kansas City Chiefs .
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They all but buried it in claiming their most important victory of the season Saturday night. They won a showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers 30-13 at Arrowhead Stadium to surge back into the lead in the AFC West.
The Chiefs (8-6) can clinch their second consecutive division championship by winning either of their next two games, on Christmas Eve against the Miami Dolphins at Arrowhead or on New Year’s Eve against the Broncos in Denver. The Chiefs would hold the tiebreaker against either of the two AFC West teams that could conceivably wind up in a tie for the division title, the Chargers and the Oakland Raiders.
The victory wasn’t one of their most artistic of the season. The Chiefs twice had to settle for field goals while inside the Los Angeles 20. Harrison Butker, their normally reliable kicker, missed a field goal attempt. They took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter only to see the Chargers forge ahead in the second half.
But the Chiefs rallied themselves, intercepting Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers three times and forcing a fumble in the second half. Marcus Peters, in his first game after a suspension, had two of the interceptions.
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Given the stakes, the victory was as solid as any the Chiefs have. They wobbled severely this season, losing those four straight games and six of seven at one point to threaten what once seemed to be a promising season.
The Chiefs snapped out of it by beating the Raiders last Sunday. After defeating the Chargers, Kansas City has righted itself at the right time.
It’s not surprising the Chiefs found their comfort zone against AFC West opponents. The win was Kansas City’s eighth straight against the Chargers and its 15th in the past 16 games against divisional opponents.
