Chiefs knock down Justin Herbert, go undefeated, but lose Rashee Rice: Key takeaways

By Nate Taylor, Daniel Popper, Cale Clinton

The Kansas City Chiefs found another way to win in their fourth straight one-score game, securing their fourth 4-0 start of the Patrick Mahomes era with a 17-10 road win over the Los Angeles Chargers -Andy Reid.

Of course, the game didn't start in the Chiefs' favor. Los Angeles' defense was effective, forcing a fumble and an interception on the Chiefs' first two drives before forcing Kansas City into back-to-back three-and-outs. Two consecutive shots on goal by the Chargers gave Los Angeles an early 10-0 lead. Worse still, Rashee Rice, the Chiefs' leading receiver, was carted off the field and sidelined with a knee injury. Reid told reporters after the game that Rice will have an MRI on Monday and he doesn't expect any positive news.

After missing the first three weeks, tight end Travis Kelce returned to form and led the team with a season-high seven receiving yards and 89 receiving yards. Running back Kareem Hunt also took the lion's share of the workload on the ground in his first game with the Chiefs since being released in November 2018.

Despite their impressive start, the Chargers ended the game rather predictably. Justin Herbert struggled to handle the pressure on his ankle sprain without making one of his first tackles. The Chiefs sacked Herbert twice while delivering 10 quarterback hits, giving the Chargers their worst game on the ground this season. Los Angeles finished the afternoon with 55 total rushing yards on 24 carries.

The Chiefs offense is operating without Rice

This wasn't the offense the Chiefs had planned – or even wanted to be – before the season began. But early in the second quarter, the Chiefs were without senior receiver Marquise Brown, running back Isiah Pacheco and second-year receiver Rice. Still, Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs managed to do what was necessary to leave SoFi Stadium with another win. Mahomes' performance was inconsistent for much of the game, but he did enough in the fourth quarter to score a game-winning touchdown drive.

Positive for the offense was the season debut of Kareem Hunt, who looks to be the team's newest starter after an effective performance of 14 rushing attempts for 69 yards. After Hunt helped the Chiefs move the ball down the field, senior running back Samaje Perine scored the game-winning score with a 2-yard touchdown run. — Nate Taylor, Chiefs beat writer

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Kansas City continues the defense-first run

Through four games, the Chiefs still have a dominant defense, even though cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was traded to the Tennessee Titans in the offseason.

The Chargers took a 10-point lead in the first quarter after taking advantage of the Chiefs' two giveaways. However, after the first quarter, pass rusher Chris Jones dominated the line of scrimmage. Jones, the Chiefs' best defender, collected two sacks and was the reason coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's unit was able to pull off another clutch stop deep in the red zone early in the fourth quarter. After a timeout, the Chargers decided to keep their offense on the field and run a four-and-1 play from the Chiefs' 3-yard line. Jones beat backup right guard Sam Mustipher with his speed and immediately created pressure on Herbert, who threw an incompletion that left the ball nowhere near one of his pass-catchers in the end zone.

The Chargers never got the ball past midfield again. Herbert's final moment of the game ended with him being sacked by Jones on third-and-11 with less than four minutes remaining. — Taylor

The Chargers, with their small number of players, are struggling up front

In the end, this game was rather predictable. The Chargers' offensive line was missing both starting tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. Trey Pipkins started at right tackle in place of Alt. Jamaree Salyer started at left tackle in place of Slater. And practice squad lineman Sam Mustipher started at right guard.

The Chargers couldn't run the ball. They finished the game with 55 yards on 24 carries. Penalties and missed runs put them at disadvantageous downs and distances. And the offensive line couldn't protect in those familiar passing situations. The Chiefs hit Herbert 10 times, leaving him limping after some of those hits. The Chargers couldn't even slow down defensive tackle Jones, who had two sacks. Against Mahomes and this offense, scoring 10 points isn't enough. — Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer

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The Chargers' defense was weakened by several key players

Jesse Minter's defense still did a commendable job. But a few loose plays troubled the Chargers. There was the 54-yard touchdown for Xavier Worthy. And then, on the Chiefs' winning touchdown drive, Mahomes evaded an oncoming rusher before completing to Noah Gray for a 29-yard gain. Gray was wide open. The Chiefs scored five plays later. — Poppers

(Photo: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)