KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs hardly could have envisioned a better way for their regular season to end against the Los Angeles Chargers.
They rested Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and most of their big-name stars. Their backups played well in their absence, helping the Chiefs to a 13-12 road win over a division rival. Chris Jones even got the sack he needed to trigger a $1.25 million bonus, which the Pro Bowl defensive tackle said he would use in part to buy his fellow defensive linemen Rolex watches.
“I had to beg (Chiefs coach Andy Reid) for one more series,” Jones said with a smile afterward. “He gave me the finger like, ‘One more and you’re done.’ So I went on the field praying to God like, ‘Oh my God, please.’”
It was fun all around for Kansas City (11-6), which had been having very little of it when it was losing three out of four games.
The Chiefs looked better in a win over the Bengals that clinched the AFC West and the No. 3 seed, though, and made their game against the Chargers almost entirely meaningless. But now, the reigning Super Bowl champions do have some momentum as the Miami Dolphins prepare to visit for a wild-card game Saturday night.
The teams played earlier this season in Germany and Kansas City held on for a 21-14 victory.
“It was good to get the win, for sure,” Reid said after the Chargers game. “I think it uplifts you, especially for those young guys who don’t have a chance to play. To say, ‘Hey, listen, I got in, and not only did I get it, we won the game.’ I think that’s positive.”
Mahomes looked just as invested in the outcome as if he was playing the way he stormed off the bench when Harrison Butker kicked the go-ahead field goal in the final minute. So did the rest of the Chiefs who were sitting out the game.
“Great job,” Mahomes said while breaking down the team in the postgame locker room, “but now it’s time to go.”
WHAT’S WORKING
It was fitting that the Kansas City defense scored the only touchdown on Sunday, when Mike Edwards picked up a fumble and ran it 97 yards the other way. That side of the ball has been bailing out the Chiefs’ mistake-prone offense for much of the season.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
The defensive front when the opposing quarterbacks run. Easton Stick’s legs were the most dangerous part of the Chargers’ offense on Sunday, and other QBs have had success scrambling against Kansas City’s otherwise stingy defense.
The Chiefs could face a number of mobile quarterbacks in the postseason, beginning with the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa.
STOCK UP
