The Kansas City Chiefs survived another close game, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 19-17 to win their ninth straight AFC West title.
Patrick Mahomes led the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (12-1) on a clock-killing four-and-a-half minute drive to set up Matthew Wright’s fourth field goal.
It looked routine until the ball clanged in off the upright in the latest narrow escape for Kansas City, who have now won 10 games by a one-score margin this season.
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Kansas City’s nine straight division titles are two short of the New England Patriots’ NFL record 11.
The Chiefs led 13-0 at halftime – their largest lead of the season – after the Chargers (8-5) punted on their first six possessions, but Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert woke up in the second half, scoring on each of their three drives.
Herbert briefly left the field late in the second quarter after a hard hit by Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton but re-entered the game on the Chargers’ next series.
He collided with Bolton and was shaken up after he scrambled to his right on third-and-10 and threw a deep pass to Quentin Johnston.
The fifth-year quarterback remained on the field for a few minutes, with trainers looking at his left leg, and walked slowly to the sideline.
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Cameron Dicker’s 37-yard field goal put the Chargers ahead 17-16 with 4:35 left.
Mahomes then went to work, hitting Xavier Worthy for 14 yards on third-and-10 and scrambling for another first down.
After the two-minute warning, Mahomes scrambled, dodged a would-be tackle, and lobbed a throw to a kneeling Travis Kelce that allowed the Chiefs to run the clock down to zero – when Wright secured the win.
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