Chiefs @ Chargers
Final Score: Chiefs 17, Chargers 10
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)
The Kansas City Chiefs are 4-0 for the first time since 2020, but questions remain about the future impact of this offense under Patrick Mahomes, with further injuries impacting the Super Bowl champions in this narrow win over a plucky Los Angeles Chargers team. Things looked dire in the first quarter, with rookie Carson Steele fumbling away the football before Mahomes threw a bad interception that he tried to make up for by throwing his body at the intercepting Chargers player. However, in doing so, the Chiefs quarterback inadvertently collided with star wide receiver Rashee Rice, who had to be carted off and did not return. Yikes!
10-0 up late in the first half, and with Justin Herbert game-managing his team, the Chargers looked to be en route to a big upset. However, the offense capitulated, and Steve Spagnuolo brought the pressure all across the undermanned Chargers offensive line to take away any big play threat while also blunting the run game to a standstill. Two punts, a turnover on downs, and a missed field goal meant the Chargers drew a blank in the second half to open the door for the Chiefs to steal it.
Three Up
- Kareem Hunt – nearly six years since being booted out of Kansas City, Hunt is back as the Chiefs starter and looks to have immediately grabbed his opportunity to be a fantasy contributor
- Travis Kelce – “I think I’ve seen this film before,” but will we like the ending? Is the popular fantasy tight end back to his normal self, or was this a necessary option given the injuries across the offense?
- Ladd McConkey – a complete performance from the rookie receiver who caused the Chiefs secondary problems on every route he ran. Looks to be a new kind of weapon for Herbert to build chemistry with
Three Down
- Patrick Mahomes – the best quarterback in football since assuming the starting role is now a fantasy headache, and his lack of playmakers should Rice miss time is alarming.
- Rashee Rice – all eyes on the status of his knee, but it doesn’t look good.
- Quentin Johnston – the second-year wideout seemed to disappear back into his mental error-prone, drop-prone self of his rookie year in a complete switch from his electric performances over the first few weeks. A bump in the road? Let’s hope so!
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 19/29, 245 Yards, TD, INT, 3 Sacks | 5 Carries, 12 Yards
After a disastrous first quarter in which he threw a pick in his territory and injured his star wideout Rice when trying to bring the intercepting player down on the run back, Mahomes settled to deliver an efficient performance with a heavy lean on the run game. The Chiefs carried the ball 26 times as they operated with a limited playbook due to injuries. Despite that, Mahomes threw for a promising 8.5 yards per attempt on average and, by rekindling his chemistry with veteran tight end Kelce, managed the team down the field and into a winning position. The standout moment was a deep bomb to rookie Worthy for a long score that put the Chiefs on the board late in the first half when it looked like they would be shut out.
With the Chiefs only having four offensive drives in the second half, the opportunity for Mahomes to build a big fantasy score was once again negated. His disappointing 13.00 fantasy points (in Yahoo!) again put him way short of his historic production. There are questions not only about Mahomes’ quarterback play but also about the quality of the targets he has in front of him.
Notes
- Apart from the deep connection to Worthy, Mahomes missed an outside receiver who could move the sticks with a number of sideline throws into contested situations coming down incomplete.
- Coming into the contest with just 44.46 fantasy points through three games, this output will once again put the Chiefs quarterback well outside the Top 12 fantasy producers at the position. It is becoming a concern for fantasy managers, and you cannot see a positive outlook with so many injuries.
Running Back
Kareem Hunt: 14 Carries, 69 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards
From the couch to the practice squad to the starting running back in the space of two weeks for the former Chiefs back who made his first appearance for Kansas City since he was unceremoniously cut back in 2018 when a video surfaced showing him kicking and shoving a woman outside his residence. Handling 14 of the team’s 21 rushing attempts and three of four targets out of the backfield, Hunt supplanted starter Carson Steele after the rookie fumbled on the opening drive of the contest. Hunt was functional without being explosive, and his longest run was just 10 yards. Hunt’s nearest scoring chance was a catch-and-run late in the fourth quarter, where he was stopped at the 3-yard line. Annoying for fantasy managers who started him, Perine got the chance to run the ball in. Hunt is now the presumed starter going forward.
Samaje Perine: 5 Carries, 14 Yards, TD
An almost non-entity for much of this contest despite Steele’s benching, Samaje Perine did pop up at the goal line to vulture a score from Hunt and run the ball in for the winning score with just six minutes left in the ball game. Perine wasn’t targeted in the passing game, and the fact that the Chiefs have immediately pivoted to Hunt suggests Perine isn’t going to be a major factor in terms of volume. He seems to be a lock to see short-yardage work.
Carson Steele: 2 Carries, 6 Yards | 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 0 Yards | 1 Fumble (Lost)
After fumbling the ball away on the fourth play of the game just outside the red zone, the rookie was benched in favor of recently returned running back Kareem Hunt. He didn’t disappear completely but failed to gain any yardage on his only other touch. He is unlikely to be relied upon next week with Hunt carrying the ball competently.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Travis Kelce: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 89 Yards
A welcome return to form for the big tight end after a miserly start to the 2024 season – whether it was intentional or due to the injury to Rice we don’t know, but it provided many fantasy managers with some much-needed production. Kelce worked his usual route tree and had most of his success over the middle on short routes, and mainly in the first half. Kelce’s 15.90 fantasy points (in Yahoo!) were more than double his score in any game so far this season. He is still yet to find the end zone, and he did not see a target in the red zone in this game. Thirty-eight of his total 89 yards came on an early connection with Mahomes deep down the right sideline on the opening drive of the game. He had seven catches for just 51 yards otherwise.
Xavier Worthy: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 73 Yards, TD
We may have found the new boom/bust favorite in the NFL for 2024. The rookie wideout only caught three passes (a season high!), but his deep connection with Mahomes for a 54-yard score late in the first half was a huge moment in what turned out to be a low-scoring affair. Worthy absolutely blitzed by Kristian Fulton and hauled in the deep bomb from his quarterback while also being interfered with. Outside of his two scoring plays this season, Worthy hasn’t found much consistency while feeling his way into Andy Reid‘s offense. Still, he has a high snap count, and he’s running as many routes as the other first-team receivers. It feels a matter of time before his output increases as he develops with his elite quarterback and play-caller. He did haul in a 15-yard grab on third down at the end of the game to ice the contest, a good sign for his relationship with his quarterback.
MAHOMES TO WORTHY FOR A 54-YARD TD.
📺: #KCvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ZAYGWXNr1V— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
Noah Gray: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 40 Yards
The tight end saw a season high in targets, receptions and yards despite playing second fiddle to Kelce at the position. The Chiefs use plenty of two-tight end sets and Gray was used mainly over the middle of the field. Most of his production came on a 29-yard grab deep midway through the fourth quarter on the winning touchdown drive. He is still off the fantasy radar.
Justin Watson: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 27 Yards
Sky Moore: 2 Targets
Rashee Rice: 0 Targets
A nasty-looking knee injury ended Rice’s game on just the second Chiefs drive of the game. After Mahomes threw an interception, Rice chased down the ball carrier only for Mahomes to accidentally put the full force of his body low into his knee. The buckle did not look good.
Here’s the play that Chiefs WR Rashee Rice was injured on. Not good looking at all.
Hope he’s alright. https://t.co/8uHJ3UV5Dg pic.twitter.com/MN7AzU4cxi
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) September 29, 2024
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback
Justin Herbert: 16/27, 179 Yards, TD, 2 Sacks | 3 Carries, 0 Yards
After coming out of the blocks with an impressive 10-play, 74-yard touchdown drive after the Chiefs fumbled the ball away on their opening possession, Herbert saw the offense limp to just 12 total first downs and a measly 224 net scrimmage yards as the Chiefs defense dominated at all levels. Herbert had just three catches over 20 yards with one of those relying on some impressive yards after catch. It wasn’t like he was gunslinging, however, and disappointingly so as even when the Chargers had the game on the line in the fourth quarter, Jim Harbaugh chose to twice punt the ball away on fourth down with less than nine minutes remaining on fourth down. Herbert was sacked on a key third down that made it 4th-&-15 with just 3:26 left on the clock. They punted away and never got the ball back. That’s not on Herbert but it meant he never really had an opportunity to go all out and make a play at the end.
Notes
- Herbert was clearly impeded by the high ankle sprain that forced him out of last week’s game, the Chargers quarterback was sacked twice by Chiefs star interior lineman Chris Jones. He came under pressure without tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt and was hit 10 times on his 31 dropbacks.
- Without a target X receiver Herbert’s arm is a little wasted in this offensive scheme. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman hasn’t opened up the playbook yet despite two straight games where the focus on the run game hasn’t worked. With the Broncos next up, that might need to change.
Running Back
J.K. Dobbins: 14 Carries, 32 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 30 Yards
With the Chargers short-handed on the offensive line for the second straight week, J.K. Dobbins once again struggled to make any headway, this time against a stout Chiefs defensive front. Averaging just 2.3 yards per carry with nine of his 14 carries going for two yards or less, the former Ravens runner failed to break tackles with his lanes limited. After showing signs of life in the opening two games of the year, the Chargers backfield has literally hit a wall against two of the better defensive fronts in the league on successive weeks. There is no immediate danger to Dobbins losing any workload though and the return of some starters should help. He continued to see all the work out of the backfield too.
Gus Edwards: 6 Carries, 19 Yards, 1 Fumble (Recovered)
Working exclusively in a backup role, Gus Edwards continues to be fantasy relevant only in terms of injury as he saw just six carries to Dobbins’ 17 total touches. He was not involved in the passing game as per usual. He did fumble a ball but managed to see it recovered.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Ladd McConkey: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 67 Yards, TD
There was a clear objective to get the ball to the rookie wide receiver early and often as McConkey hauled in three catches for 27 yards on the scripted opening possession. His big play ability evident on a broken play in the red zone that saw the rookie wideout stay relevant and come back inside from an out-route at the back of the end zone to make a brilliant catch low down for a score. His only other major contribution was an eye-catching 37-yard catch-and-run in third quarter with the Chargers driving deep in Chiefs territory. A nice taster of what is to come for the shifty, explosive wideout.
A LIL LADD.
📺: #KCvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/Xw1vnCSPcs— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
Joshua Palmer: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards
Returning from a niggling calf injury, Joshua Palmer was sporadically involved in the offense but saw little in terms of downfield targets, something he excels on. It is not really the model for this offense but Palmer has shown he can be a contested-catch monster in the past. After multiple attempts to connect with Johnston, Herbert diverted his attention to Palmer midway through the third quarter, connecting with him on a 26-yard deep ball for one of the most exciting plays of the day. The wideout connected twice more with his quarterback on the same drive but it resulted in a killer turnover on downs at the Chiefs 3-yard line.
Will Dissly: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 24 Yards
After catching seven passes over the first three games, former Seahawks tight end Will Dissly once again saw like-for-like production as he operated between the numbers on short passing routes for his quarterback. Splitting reps with Hayden Hurst will mean neither tight end will likely monopolize the target share. So it came to be once again in this contest, the majority of Dissly’s production came on a 22-yard chunk play on the Chargers’ opening scoring drive of the game.
Quentin Johnston: 1 Carry, 4 Yards | 5 Targets, 1 Reception, 9 Yards
This was a case of “back down to earth with a bang” for the sophomore wideout who, despite effective fantasy output the last two weeks, returned to morbid disappointment logging his sole catch on a third-and-long into the red zone for a 9-yard gain. It was to be the precursor to a drive that resulted in a turnover on downs at the Chiefs 3-yard line with the game in the balance tied at 10. Johnston also took an end around reverse for a four yard gain on the second offensive snap of the game but otherwise he never really looked to be a focal point of the offense. The lack of production through the air for this offense should continue in a similar fashion, limiting Johnston’s upside.
Scott Matlock: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Hayden Hurst: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 6 Yards