Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Final Score: Chiefs 22, Chargers 6
Writer: Kevan Downs [kdsportsnet on Instagram]
Three Up
- KeAndre Lambert-Smith – The largest beneficiary of the slew of injuries to the Charger receiver group. He ended his day with the most receiver snaps played and the most receptions amongst the LA receivers.
- Kenneth Walker III – K9 continues to make his case as the best running back in football this season. He put the offense on his back ending his day with 6.7 yards per carry and 2 touchdowns.
- Xavier Worthy – Worthy stepped into the WR1 role for the Chiefs with Rashee Rice out with injury. Worthy hauled in all of his targets. He didn’t have the highest target volume day, but if he can maintain his efficiency, he won’t necessarily need high volume to produce quality days like this. The dominance of the run game makes it easier as well.
Two Down
- Patrick Mahomes – His 3rd straight solid, not amazing week. With how good Kenneth Walker has been, it could limit Mahomes upside as he isn’t forced to play hero ball all the time.
- Chargers Run Game – All 3 of Omarion Hampton, Kimani Vidal, and Keaton Mitchell are in the mix which limits individual upside. Hampton and Vidal seem to be the main two at this point. I’d say you could start one of them and pray for a touchdown, but with how lackluster the offense has been, the goal line opportunities have also been quite limited.
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback
Justin Herbert: 22/37, 204 Yards, INT | 5 Carries, 26 Yards
The Chargers need to find something in their bye week. After having high expectations entering the year, they find themselves at 0-6, largely due to the offensive performance. Justin Herbert is seemingly not comfortable in the pocket, largely due to the amount of pressure he gets. In this game, he looked very jumpy in the pocket and unsure of where and when to get rid of the ball, but that is understandable given how much the defense was able to get to him, even on regular four-man rushes. Additionally, Ladd McConkey, who was supposed to step into the WR1 role, hasn’t been healthy since the first half of Week 1, and the run game has not been helpful. Hampton and Vidal combined for fewer than 3 yards per carry, and defenses can dial in on defending the pass more easily as a result.
Notes
- Herbert is under pressure a lot. Oftentimes, he could make the first or second man miss, then yet another defender would be there to pressure him. He ended his day being sacked 4 times and was hit 9 times. Herbert also made his fair share of poor decisions and bad passes, especially on his interception. Yes, he was again under pressure, but the pass was nowhere near being completed.
GILLOTTE RECORDS HIS FIRST SACK OF THE SEASON 😤 pic.twitter.com/z8K5FcNv1s
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 18, 2026
WE'LL TAKE THAT! pic.twitter.com/27CygoijRC
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 18, 2026
Missed Opportunities
- Herbert just missed a touchdown pass on a 57-yard completion to Quentin Johnston. He was tackled at the one. On the following plays, the offense got sent back due to a holding call, then was unable to put in the touchdown following that.
Running Back
Omarion Hampton: 7 Carries, 18 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 21 Yards
I’m listing Hampton as team RB1 based on performance; however, he did not get his first carry until the second quarter. Neither he nor Kimani Vidal has been able to separate from one another, and it seems it truly will be a hot hand situation as the season goes on. You could reasonably start either of them out of desperation and pray for that goal line opportunity, but with how poor the offense has played thus far, goal line chances are far from a guarantee.
Kimani Vidal: 7 Carries, 21 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 19 Yards
Following Quentin Johnston’s 57-yard completion, the offense was set up at the 1-yard line. However, a holding call forced them back to the 11, losing any chance for one of Hampton or Vidal to punch in a 1-yard touchdown rush.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
KeAndre Lambert-Smith: 9 Targets, 5 Receptions, 32 Yards, 1 Fumble
The remaining best route runner on the team with Tre’ Harris out and Ladd McConkey forced to leave the game early. Lambert-Smith saw the most receiver snaps played and routes run this game in his first real action since being activated from IR. Anyone in this receiver group is tough to trust week to week, but if McConkey and Harris miss more time, you could do worse as a possible bye week fill-in. Looking like the best drive the team was able to put together all day, Lambert-Smith caught the pass on 3rd and 1 that would have given them a new set of downs; however, he had the ball forced out and lost the fumble. The team would have been around the Chiefs’ 30-yard line with the possibility of red zone chances.
A FUMBLE IN THE FOURTH. pic.twitter.com/uZsWh1l9TX
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 18, 2026
Quentin Johnston: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 57 Yards
Johnston continues to be a very low-volume receiving option. He has not been good at getting separation. That, coupled with the rate at which Herbert is getting pressured, is a recipe for low volume/low quality targets. Johnston did just miss a touchdown, which would have given him a solid line for the day, but that’s just how he needs to be looked at at this point: touchdown or bust, if you’re at all relying on him.
57-yard bombbb pic.twitter.com/6wLSGhXWHm
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 18, 2026
Charlie Kolar: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 20 Yards
Oronde Gadsden: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 17 Yards
With David Njoku hitting the IR, the tight end group is now down to a two-man rotation instead of 3. However, neither Kolar nor Gadsden have seen enough volume to be worth a start. With Kolar missing games early and now seeing a higher usage rate than Gadsden, I would lean towards him if I absolutely had to choose, but neither is an enticing option. Despite the wide receiver injuries, the Chargers still have not played a ton of 12 personnel; rather, they rotate Kolar and Gadsden in and out based on the situation. Gadsden saw the field more on third down tries and more obvious passing situations, while Kolar was on the field in early down work as he is a better blocker than Gadsden.
Theo Wease Jr.: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 21 Yards
Wease has been playing more slot snaps over the last two weeks as the injuries have been piling up for this receiver group. Regardless, he still is not seeing high enough of a snap share and target rate to be worth considering.
Ladd McConkey: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 17 Yards
Ladd’s unfortunate stretch of injury luck continues as he was forced to leave the game early, this time with a concussion. His status for the week remains in flux.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 23/30, 272 Yards, 1 INT | 5 Carries, 16 Yards
While not the flashiest game we’ve ever seen out of Mahomes, he was pretty efficient and the offensive line kept him clean. Between the line play and his usual elusiveness, he ended the day being sacked zero times. While being down Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy stepped in nicely as WR1. He converted three of his seven catches for first downs, keeping the offense moving while Kenneth Walker made a lot of explosive plays for himself, resulting in multiple touchdowns. Walker’s performance kept Mahomes’ points down, but the offense will continue to have plenty of scoring opportunities all season.
Mahomes did throw one pretty terrible interception on the goal line. It was third and goal, so he was trying to make something happen, but one of the lone pressures he saw all day got to him, and he made an ill-advised throw off his back foot that didn’t have much of a chance to be caught by his receiver.
cam snatched that pic.twitter.com/JbO0XzRM0t
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 18, 2026
Running Back
Kenneth Walker III: 19 Yards, 128 Yards, 2 TD | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards
Best running back in the league this year? Walker is sure making a case for it. He now has over 100 rushing yards in 4 of 5 games to start the year, with at least one touchdown in 4 of 5 games as well. Walker has been an incredible combination of efficient and explosive all season, finishing his day with 6.7 yards per carry, bringing his season-long average to 6.3. He is the best playmaker on this high-powered Chiefs offense this season, and it would take the king’s ransom for me to ever consider trading him. Weekly start overall RB1 potential.
K9 WITH THE 33-YARD BREAKAWAY TD 🐶 pic.twitter.com/t0NMQe6CYM
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 18, 2026
DOVE IT IN FOR THE SCORE‼️ pic.twitter.com/lqY0Okvncz
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 18, 2026
Missed Opportunities
- Walker just missed a third touchdown when he was tackled at the 1. This put the team at 1st and goal. He was later stuffed on 4th and goal.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Xavier Worthy: 7 Targets, 7 Receptions, 73 Yards
Worthy was involved in the offense all over the place. He played well in the short and intermediate passing game, helping to keep the chains moving. He also got in and blocked nicely for Kenneth Walker, which is encouraging that he has been able to show improvement in that department given the size at which he entered the league. Worthy remains a starter for at least as long as Rashee Rice is out and warrants consideration even if Rice is healthy. No one in the receiver group has seen elite target volume this year, but Worthy has seen at least 6 targets in 4 of 5 games to start the year and plays most snaps. In games where the opponent is scoring more than this Chargers offense is capable of, the offense could work back towards passing more.
Xavier Worthy zooms into field goal range
LACvsKC on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Q3mygPA45Q— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
Travis Kelce: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 53 Yards
Kelce now has 5 or fewer targets in 4 of 5 games to start this season, although in this game, that was partially due to briefly leaving the game with an injury. He has returned ok PPR value but carries a combination of lower floor and high ceiling ROS. His lower target volume is slightly concerning; however, as the Chiefs are down Tyquan Thornton and possibly Rashee Rice for more games, Kelce could see an uptick in targets. With Kenneth Walker’s emergence, Mahomes has thrown the ball less than he ever has, so the receivers will see fewer opportunities than in years past. Couple that with Rice’s upcoming return to action, and Kelce becomes a questionable start at best. There’s always going to be weekly upside in Patrick Mahomes’ potential number 2 target on a given week, but Kelce is looking closer to the 3 behind Rice and Worthy.
Noah Gray: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 53 Yards
Gray saw more work with the Chiefs rotating Travis Kelce out of the game more following his early game injury evaluation. Kelce was quickly able to come back in the game, but he and Gray saw the field for the same amount of targets. Despite increased usage, Gray should not be considered unless the injury bug also hits Kelce.