If turning back time was possible, the Los Angeles Chargers wouldn’t hesitate to revisit their Sunday night game against the Chiefs and erase their one costly mistake. See, losing a game is one thing. But to lose a game that was almost a winning one, that kind of disappointment is hard to get over. And that is precisely what happened on Sunday when the Chargers lost to the Chiefs 19-17. Yes, once again, the Chiefs had a last-minute win. But this time, there was no divine intervention behind their win. It was, in fact, a decision made by Jim Harbaugh, the team, and Cameron Dicker.

There’s one thing the Chargers and Harbaugh struggle with. And that is winning close games. But what has the 2024 season shown us so far? If it’s a close game, the Chiefs are getting that win. So when Dicker kicked a field goal in the final play, the worst that the team could imagine happened. He failed to reach the landing zone and got handed a penalty. The result? The Chiefs began their drive from the 40-yard line. Aside from giving Mahomes close win situations, the other thing that’s a big no-no is a shorter field. So, without a doubt, they used it to their advantage and snatched a win. Post-game, the HC agreed it was a team decision that didn’t pan out. “He just hit it a little bit high, high on the ball-rare mistake.”

And the “rare mistake” helped Mahomes and Co. win their ninth straight AFC West title. While the strategy to push the Chiefs back deep into their territory was clear, the execution failed. Had the kick gone through the end zone, Kansas City would have started at the 30-yard line. And the result could have been quite different. But despite scoring more touchdowns and sacking Mahomes three times, the Chargers had to walk out with an L.

Despite the loss, the Bolts had their standout plays. QB Justin Herbert was exceptional. He went for 21 of his 30 passing attempts and a TD. In the second quarter, however, Herbert took a hard hit from Chiefs LB Nick Bolton, which knocked him out for one play and led to the Chargers punting for the fifth time. But despite the QB’s efforts, his team scored zero points in the first two quarters. One of the other mistakes that led to the Chiefs having more advantage and eventually a win.

The Chargers struggled while Mahomes got another nail-biting win

By now, you have probably heard all the theories about the Chiefs winning all of their last-minute games. Is it voodoo? Taylor’s magic? Or are their prayers being answered? But that’s all there is to those theories. They’re just theories, and Mahomes keeps proving it. Sunday’s victory meant the team has now won 10 games where three different kickers converted game-winning field goals. And to top that, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a game-winning fourth-quarter drive.

The QB completed 24 of 37 passes for 210 yards and connected with DeAndre Hopkins on a 9-yard throw late in the first half. And although that was Kansas City’s only TD of the game, it was enough. They kept the Chargers offense struggling before halftime. L.A. was already struggling with two main injuries – running back J.K. Dobbins and receiver Ladd McConkey. And it was evident Herbert didn’t have anyone around him to make plays. All of this ultimately led to the crushing defeat.

After Dicker’s 10-yard penalty, with only minutes remaining, the Chiefs needed to run down the clock on a third-and-7. So Mahomes did what he does best. Made a clutch play. He sidestepped Chargers charging linebacker Daiyan Henley and connected with Kelce for a first down. His 9-yard pass helped the team set up their kicker, Matthew Wright, for the game’s fourth field goal. And even though Wright almost missed, the Chiefs got what they came for – a win. Although the team didn’t have an outright stellar performance throughout, Mahomes once again made sure to get his close win. And how so! As for the Chargers, not all hope’s lost. Let’s just hope they can finally start winning those close games.