Chargers 17-31 Chiefs, summary: score, stats, highlights | NFL Week 7

Chiefs defeat Chargers 31-17 in AFC West showdown

The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers rivalry made for a highly anticipated game today and it did not disappoint. From the very beginning, both teams were so involved, scoring back and forth and trading off tying up the game, especially in the first half. In the first quarter, it was a tie game and in the second, they combined for 35 as the Chiefs took the lead just ahead of halftime. The second half was lower-scoring, but still an exciting game between the two AFC West teams.

Mahomes and Kelce magic

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce have an unbelievable connection and it shows. Despite coming off of an ankle injury, Kelce caught an impressive nine passes for 143 yards today. Mahomes threw one interception, but other than that, had an excellent game. In the first half alone, he caught 20 of 23 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with a total of 424 yards.

Chiefs defense showed up

Though the Chargers scored 17 points in the first half, the Chiefs defense stepped up in the second half, not allowing the Chargers to score a single point more. Players like Bryan Cook, Charles Omenihu, and Mike Danna were key players on the Chiefs D. 

What's next and where the Chiefs and Chargers stand now

The Chiefs not only improve to 6-1 on the season, but also now take a 3-game lead over the Las Vegas Raiders in the AFC West after the Raiders lost to the Bears. The Chiefs will move on to play the Denver Broncos next Sunday.

The Chargers fall to 2-4 after the loss to the Chiefs and are now a game behind the Raiders and just ahead of the Broncos, at third in the AFC West. They move on to play the Bears next week.

Chiefs move to 6-1 with win over AFC West rivals Chargers

And that's game! The Chiefs move to 6-1 and the Chargers to 2-4 .

Herbert pass INTERCEPTED by Cook and he takes it up 9 yards to the Chiefs 31

FalseStart on Chargers' Pipkins - 5 yards - 2nd and 24

Herbert SACKED by Tranquill for a loss of 9 - 2nd and 19

TWO-MINUTE WARNING

At 3rd and 6, Herbert passes to Palmer and he takes it up 22yards to give the Chargers the first down. They have the ball at the Chiefs 35 with 2 minutes left to play the game.

Chargers go for it on 4th and 16 and it pays off! Herbert passes deep to Palmer for 19 yards to the Chargers 38.

Herbert SACKED by Danna for a loss of 6 - 4th and 16

Herbert passes deep to Palmer, but it's blocked by Reid - 3rd and 10

Herbert made a beautiful pass to Parham, but Tranquill was all over him, incomplete - 2nd and 10

CHIEFS 31-17 CHARGERS

Mahomes passes it off to Pacheco and he runs it into the end zone 8 yards. Butker's PAT is good and the Chiefs take a two-score lead with 3:30 to go in the last quarter.

Mahomes to Kelce complete for 7 and then complete to Hardman to put Chiefs at 1st and goal

Pacheco loses 3,taken down by Kendricks - 2nd ad 12

Mahomes pass to Rice for 12yards and the 1st!!

Pacheco was down after 5 yards on the Chargers 30. The ball came loose, but it was ruled that he was down by contact, so it was not a fumble. The Chargers challenged it, but the call was upheld and LA loses a timeout.

Scott's 58-yard punt is returned by Hardman, who took off 50yards to the Chargers 35!

Ekeler picks up 3, but at 3rd and 5, Herbert's pass is nearly intercepted, batted away by Gay - 4th and 5 and Chargers punt i back

Herbert's pass to Allen was incomplete. stopped by Bolton, whose wrist got tangled underneath him. He's being attended to on the sideline.

At 3rd and 9, Mahomes escapes the pocket again and makes a beautiful pass to Kelce, but he's stopped and it's incomplete. KC punts it back to the Chargers.

Mahomes escapes the pocket with all the time in the world, passes to Kelce who gets away from the coverage and another 14 yards. 

Holding call on Chargers' James, declined

Pacheco takes it up 5 and Valdes-Scantling makes a catch for another 10 - 1st down Chiefs

Mahomes faked it to Pacheco and he ran it up 29yards but a Holding call on Smith takes it back - 1st and 14 at the KC4.

Herbert pass nearly intercepted, broken up by Edwards to stop the Chargers getting any momentum. Chargers punt it back at 4th and 7.

Allen makes the catch for 8 yards - 3rd and 7 Chargers

On 2nd down, Chargers' Davis gets a FalseStart call to put them back to 2nd and 15

And the Chiefs go 3 and out. They'll punt it back to the Chargers at 4th and 3

Kelley tries to get the 1st down but he's stopped by Bolton and Karlaftis and the Chargers punt it back

Ekeler takes it up again a few yards and it's 3rd and 3

END THIRD QUARTER

Ekeler takes it up 5 yards to put the Chargers at 2nd and 5 at their own 29. The Chargers have the ball after their defense sacked Mahomes and forced a punt. The Chiefs are in the lead by a score as we head into the final quarter of the game.

Townsend punts 48 yards to Chargers 24, downed by Williams.

Mahomes is swallowed up by Chargers defenders and it's Murray who gets the SACK for a loss of 9 yards to put Chiefs at 4th and 19 and they'll punt it back to LA

At 3rd and 15, Mahomes escapes the pocket, drops deep, and runs for 23 yards to get the 1st down for the Chiefs

FalseStart on Chiefs' Kelce - 5 yards - 3rd and 15

McKinnon is knocked back a bit and moves back forward to even it out - 3rd and 10

Mahomes pass to Valdes-Scantling knocked away by Davis - 2nd and 10

Pacheco picks up 6 and Mahomes' pass to Moore for 4 is good for the 1st down 

Chargers throw interception at 3rd and goal

Herbert's pass is INTERCEPTED by Sneed in the end zone and he takes it up 3 yards to the Chiefs 9

At 1st and goal, Ekeler gets a yard. 

At 2nd and goal, Herbert escapes the pocket but his pass is incomplete in the end zone.

At 3rd and goal...

Herbert pass deep to Palmer is caught for 25yards.

Chiefs' McDuffie is called for PassInterference - declined. 1st down at the Chiefs 9.

Kelley takes it up again to get a gain of 4 and the 1st down

Herbert hands off to Kelley and he takes off for 8 yards - 2nd and 2

Herbert pass to Allen for 19 yards to the 50 - 1st down and then some

Ekeler takes it up 4 yards - 2nd and 6 at the Chargers 23

Davis takes it up another 2 - 3rd and 2...

Ekeler finishes it off for 4 yards and the 1st down

Mahomes pass to Bell complete but he FUMBLES it after it's popped out by Hendricks and Chargers safety James recovers it - Chargers ball at their own 19

Mahomes under pressure, but he escapes and runs up for a gain of 8 yards and the 1st down

Pacheco picks up just 3 - 3rd and 7 Chiefs

Mahomes under pressure throws deep to Moore incomplete, 2nd and 10

At 3rd and 2, Mahomes pass complete to Kelce for 15 yards

Pacheco picks up 12yards right away - 1st down Chiefs

And we're back!

It'll be Mahomes and the Chiefs starting us off on offense in the second half.

WATCH: Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes’ viral touchdown dance

HALFTIME

Butker kicked it back, Herbert took the knee, and that will take us to halftime, folks. The Chiefs are in the lead, 24-17 after an exciting back-and-forth duel between AFC West rivals Chiefs and Chargers.

CHIEFS 24-17 CHARGERS

Mahomes pass to Kelce is not only caught, but he is also able to push himself over the line to get the touchdown for the Chiefs. Butker's PAT is good the Chiefs take back the lead heading into halftime. 

Mahomes pass into the end zone to Kelce is incomplete but it's a PassInterference on Chargers' Kendircks - 1st and goal

Chiefs take 1st timeout

McKinnon is taken down by Murray for a loss of 3 - 2nd and 23

Pass Interference on Chiefs' Ross - 10-yard penalty - 1st and 20 at the Chargers 21

Mahomes has all the time in the world to get the ball where he wants it and he does so. His pass is complete to Valdes-Scantling for 28 yards to the Chargers 11.

Mahomes to Kelce for 5 yards - 2nd and 5

TWO-MINUTE WARNING

With 2 minutes left in the first half, the Chiefs andd Chargers are tied 17-17. 

The Chiefs have the ball on 1st down at the Chargers 44 after a 37-yard run by Rice and 15-yard catch by Kelce.

In case you missed her last week...

Here's how the Chargers fan went viral for her animated expressions

Everyone's favorite Chargers fan is back this week in KC

Scott's 47-yard punt downed at the Chiefs 4 by Taylor

Herbert pass complete to Everett but McDuffie takes him down at the 49 for a gain of just 11. It's 4th and 5 and the Chargers punt it away.

Herbert SACKED by Omenihu for a loss of 6 - 3rd and 16

At 3rd and 7, Herbert passes to Johnston for 20 yards to get the 1st down and then some

Mahomes throws deep to Hardman, but he was under pressure by Mack and it's INTERCEPTED by Samuel who's taken down immediately, but the Chargers will take over at their own 21.

Mahomes hands it off to Edwards-Helaire but he's taken back 2 yards by Tuipulotu

Mahomes to Kelce for 16 yards and the 1st down

CHIEFS 17-17 CHARGERS

Palmer set up the score for the Chargers on a 60-yard run to the Chiefs 9. Then it was a pass to Everett in the end zone for 7 yards for the touchdown. Dicker's PAT was good and the Chargers tie it up AGAIN in the 2nd quarter.

Herbert hands it off to Ekeler and he's only able to get 2 yards - 3rd and goal 

Herbert pass incomplete to Allen - 2nd and goal

Herbert passes deep to Palmer and it's complete at the 40 and then he takes off for a total of 60 yards all the way to the Chiefs 9!

Well, these two look like they're having fun

CHIEFS 17-10 CHARGERS

Kelce set up the score on a 54-yard run to the Chargers' 6. Mahomes pass to Rice complete in the end zone for 6 yards and he gets his feet down to give the Chiefs a touchdown. Butker's PAT is good and the Chiefs take back the lead in a back-and-forth close game between these two AFC West rivals.

Mahomes pass to Kelce complete and the TE takes off 54yards down the field! He's finally taken down by Marlowe at the Chargers 6

Mahomes to Kelce for 13 yards and a 1st down

CHIEFS 10-10 CHARGERS

After getting past a penalty, the Chargers maximized on the opportunity. Herbert passed to Kelley and he took off 49yards for the touchdown. Dickers' PAT was good and the Chargers tie up the game yet again with 10:42 to go in the second quarter.

Kelly picks up 7, and Everett adds 8 to put the Chargers at 1st down at the Chiefs 49

Herbert pass to Davis complete for 10 yards and then to Parham for 9 yards to get the 1st down despite the 10-yard penalty

On 2nd and 8, Herbert's pass was complete to Everett just short of the 1st down, but...

An Illegal Hands to the Face call on the Chargers put them back another 10 yards. Now they're at 2nd and 18.

CHIEFS 10-3 CHARGERS

Mahomes passed to Valdes-Scantling who took off for 46yards and a Chiefs touchdown. Butker's PAT was good to put the Chiefs up 10-3 with 14:11 to go in the2nd quarter.

Mahomes to Kelce for 9 yards and the 1st down to start the 2nd quarter

END FIRST QUARTER

At the end of the first quarter, the Chiefs and Chargers are tied 3-3 with both teams settling for field goals after getting down field. 

The Chiefs have the ball on offense and are at 3rd and 3 at their own 45.

Mahomes 13-yard pass to Toney - 1st down Chiefs

CHIEFS 3 - 3 CHARGERS

The Chargers made it down into Chiefs territory, but the Chiefs defense held them, with a sack by Gay losing the Chargers 13 yards on a 3rd down play. They settled for a field goal and Dicker made it 55 yards. The Chargers tie it up with just over a minute to play in the 1st quarter.

CHARGERS FIELD GOAL!

Herbert under pressure, throws it away and it's incomplete. The Chargers will go for the field goal at 4th and 21.

Herbert SACKED by Gay for a loss of 13 - 3rd and 21

Chargers get another 1st down on a 7-yard pass to Palmer 

Herbert 26-yard pass to Allen gives Chargers 1st down at the Chiefs 36

CHIEFS 3 - 0 CHARGERS

The Chiefs had a 48-yard touchdown run nullified on a penalty. The Chargers defense was able to hold them to 4th down on the Chargers 17 and they got the 35-yard field goal by Butker instead.

CHIEFS FIELD GOAL!

At 2nd and 18, Moore catches an 11-yard pass from Mahomes to put the Chiefs at 3rd and 7, but an incomplete pass to Hardman puts them at 4th down. They'll go for the field goal.

Holding call on Chiefs' Smith - 10 yards

Mahomes in trouble, he throws it away and there's a flag on the play...

Mahomes to Gray gets a gain of 8 and Pacheco finishes off the 1st down with a 3-yard run, Chiefs are at the Chargers 20 

Take that back, there was a 48-yard pass play to McKinnon into the end zone was nullified by an Illegal Block in the Back by Thuney

Wait...flag on the play..

On 3rd and 6, Mahomes scrambled away and tossed it to Kelce for a gain of 28 yards and the 1st down

At 3rd and 2, Herbert is SACKED by Karlaftis to bring Chargers to 4th down and 8 and they punt it back to Kansas City

Chargers nearly went 3 and out but a defensive passinterference on Chiefs Sneed gave them the automatic 1st down

And we're off! Game time!

Chiefs won the toss and decided to defer. The Chargers will start us off on offense. 

Wreck 'em, Mahomes!

And for those of you wondering...

Chiefs defense gives edge over Chargers

Although the Chiefs' and Chargers' offenses are both doing well this season, there is quite a disparity on the defensive side of things.

As for their offense, the Chiefs have the second-most passing yards per game (263.8) in the league and the Chargers have the fifth-most (259). 

On the other hand, the Chiefs defense has allowed just 14.7 points per game, second only to the 49ers while their passing defense is sixth in the league. The Chargers, though, have allowed more passing yards per game than any other team and are 23rd in the league in points allowed per game (24.8).

Happy National Tight Ends Day!

Today is National Tight Ends Day. How many touchdowns will Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce get today against the Chargers?

The man himself...

Who will cover Kelce?

Chargers safety Derwin James is usually the guy to cover the Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Although he is not on the inactives list, he did hurt his ankle in practice on Thursday and had been listed as questionable leading up to the game.

If he’s not at 100% (which it’s likely he’s not), then the Chargers are likely to lean on Michael Davis and/or Dean Marlowe, neither of whom are as favorable as James would be. The Chargers five up 4.66 more yards per route to Kelce when James isn’t on the field, according to TruMedia Sports.

INACTIVES: Chiefs vs Chargers

Chargers Inactives:

S Mark Webb, Jr.

S Alohi Gilman

CB Deane Leonard

RB Elijah Dotson

OL Zack Bailey

TE Tre' McKitty

DL Christopher Hinton

Chiefs Inactives:

DE BJ Thompson

OL Mike Caliendo

WR Justin Watson

DT Neil Farrell

DE Malik Herring

We are 2-3 at this moment, take it how it is, go on to Kansas City on the road. We need this big win. We need to band together, good week of practice and get after it. Let's [freaking] go. It's the NFL. It's fun. Let's do it."

Chiefs vs Chargers: Where do they stand?

The Chiefs are coming into this AFC West matchup at 5-1 with their only loss so far coming against the Detroit Lions in Week 1. They are leading the division and are coming off of a 19-8 win over the Broncos as the latest of their 4-game win streak

Meanwhile, the Chargers are third in the AFC West at 2-3 and are playing on a short week after coming off of a tough 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. Although the record looks bad, all the Chargers’ games have been lost by just eight points or less.

As for the two teams and how they match up - this is a rivalry, and the Chiefs do tend to have a tough time against the Chargers. The last four times these two played each other, the largest margin of victory was six points, so though the Chiefs won all of those games, we should have ourselves a close game today.

Fun fact: Patrick Mahomes has only ever lost three AFC West games in his NFL career.

Hello everyone and welcome to our live coverage of the Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs!

This AFC West rivalry kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and we’ll be here to bring you live coverage of all the latest stats, highlights, commentary, and scores.