Kansas City Chiefs Lean on Patrick Mahomes and Their Rookie Class to Squeak by the LA Chargers

Patrick Mahomes took a 3-2 lead in his head-to-head rivalry with Justin Herbert, elevating his team to a 2-0 start in 2022 and sending the Chargers to 1-1. A couple of rookies made their presence felt as well for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The loaded Los Angeles Chargers defense opened the game by stymying Andy Reid’s offensive attack. Joey Bosa wrecked the pocket consistently and Derwin James roamed the middle of the field, looking like the best player on the field.

James completely body slammed Travis Kelce midway through the third quarter in a play that dominated everyone’s Twitter timeline.

Kelce initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder but James showed his freaky combination of athleticism and strength by pulling out a spine-buster that was reminiscent of the move that former WWE superstar, Triple H, frequented.

The Chargers entered the second half with a 10-7 advantage, and after their opening drive of the third quarter ended with a Mike Williams touchdown, Herbert and the gang held on to a double-digit lead. This is when Mahomes and the Chiefs offense finally woke up.

The first two touchdowns of the night for Kansas City came on plays that only a handful of human beings on planet Earth could make. The thing is, Mahomes makes these plays look so effortless that it can take away how special they actually are. These arm angles are not normal.

Thanks to the contributions from Clyde Edwards-Helaire, it felt like a more balanced unit, akin to what we saw in Arizona in week one. The wide receiver room may be lacking a true difference maker, but the fact they are more well-rounded could be scarier than what they had with Tyreek Hill.

As good as Mahomes was, some of the biggest plays from the second half came from their 2022 rookie draft class. Defensive lineman George Karlaftis and cornerback Jaylen Watson helped flip the game on its head and boost the Chiefs to their comeback victory.

Karlaftis, one of the best stories from the 2022 NFL Draft class, regularly found himself in the backfield Thursday night. He used his elite play strength to throw around the Charger’s banged-up offensive line.

The former Purdue Boilermaker, and Greek resident, got off to a hot start in week one with a whopping six quarterback pressures. He followed that up in week two with another dominant performance. His box score won’t tell you this, but make no mistake, his constant pressure kept Herbert from getting in a groove.

The play of the game came from another Chiefs rookie, former Washington State Cougar Jaylen Watson. Watson slipped all the way to the seventh round in the 2022 NFL Draft, a major surprise to me considering I had a late day two grade on the Augusta, Georgia native.

Watson worked his tail off after being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs, and in doing so, he earned not only a roster spot but immediate playing time in the wake of Trent McDuffie’s hamstring injury. And you better believe that Watson made the most of this opportunity.

The rookie cornerback had his nose in many plays Thursday, recording four total tackles and doing a great job of sticking to his assignment downfield. The aforementioned play of the game came with a little over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Watson jumped a poorly thrown ball to Gerald Everett that never had a chance of being completed. The young defender tracked the ball in and then returned it for a game-winning 99-yard pick-six. Arrowhead was so loud that I swear I saw my tv shaking!

Herbert suffered a rib injury later on in the fourth, and although he toughed it out and led the team on a garbage-time drive for a touchdown, it clearly hampered the third-year signal-caller. Herbert was evaluated after the game and we are still awaiting word on the severity of the injury.

Assuming Herbert can use his 10 days between games to heal up, the Chargers still have plenty to be excited about in 2022. The problem is, much like the way things were with Tom Brady in New England for years, the AFC runs through Kansas City until further notice.

No disrespect to the Cincinnati Bengals or the Buffalo Bills, but these first two weeks have shown why Patrick Mahomes is already in conversations as the most talented to ever throw a pigskin. I’ll let y’all argue about that, but one thing you cannot argue with is how great the Chiefs are looking following a franchise-altering offseason.

Their 27-24 victory is big for playoff seeding purposes, not only because it’s divisional but because it’s a conference game as well, which is pivotal to the tiebreak rules. They sit atop the AFC West as the only undefeated team in the division, a territory that they are all too familiar with.

I hear you about how great the Bills looked in week one and how much talent there is in the AFC as a whole, but give me Patrick Mahomes and I’ll take my chances against anybody. If the franchise continues adding contributors on rookie contracts, the Super Bowl window will remain open for the next decade+ in Kansas City.

Enjoy it Chiefs fans… this type of talent doesn’t come around ever. We are truly watching a 1-of-1 talent with No. 15.