Chargers 24-27 Chiefs: Kansas City comes from behind as Herbert injured in Week Two opener

Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes as the Kansas City Chiefs stayed unbeaten with a turnaround victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in an entertaining AFC West matchup.

Jerick McKinnon and Justin Watson hauled in the TD passes as the Chiefs, who were 10-0 down in the first quarter, battled back to a once-again impressive looking Chargers team.

Seventh-round rookie Jaylen Watson stole the headlines with the play of the game, picking off LA QB Justin Herbert before returning it 99 yards for a touchdown, early into the fourth quarter.

Herbert, who finished with 334 yards and three touchdown passes, was again outstanding despite the late pick. He finished with 334 yards and three touchdown passes, one each to Mike Williams, Zander Horvath and Josh Palmer.

But after being hurt following a tackle from Mike Danna in the fourth quarter, Herbert couldn’t recover to help his team to victory at Arrowhead Stadium.

Herbert injury worries, but Mahomes dominates once again

This highly anticipated showdown between two genuine Super Bowl contenders and two of the league’s prolific young quarterbacks proved to be a gritty affair, with both defenses dominating.

But for a second straight game, Mahomes was incredibly effective against a heavy blitz defense, despite relentless pressure from Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack up front, and Derwin James pretty much everywhere else.

Eight different Chiefs players had at least two catches, which is tied for the most in a game in the Patrick Mahomes era. While their short-yardage offense and rushing attack struggled, their star QB was able to pick up the pieces.

The Chargers looked to be sailing towards victory having gone up 17-7 early in the second half. But faded towards the end.

In particular, their offensive line struggled to contain Kansas City as the game went on, with Herbert hit eight times and sacked twice during the defeat.

Following Watson’s pick-six, Herbert – who was dealing with a rib injury and visibly in pain – rallied to put together a nine-play, 73-yard drive that pulled the Chargers to within three with just over a minute to play.

But Kansas City recovered an onside kick attempt and ran out the clock on a crucial division win.

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said after the game he doesn’t expect Herbert’s injury to be a problem going forward. But we’ll see if this impacts his performance in any way.

The Chiefs go 2-0 ahead of the game against the Indianapolis Colts next week. For the Chargers, they go back to .500 at 1-1, with the Jaguars up next.