The Chargers' strong defense continues to expose the struggling offense

The Los Angeles Chargers were able to keep the division duel with the Kansas City Chiefs close thanks to the unity of defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. The consistency of the defense exposed the shortcomings of the offense.

Although the unit was missing Joey Bosa, Bud Dupree tallied two sacks while Tarheeb Still and Troy Dye shared a sack. Kristian Fulton also had an interception. Elijah Molden recovered a fumble.

Kansas City's offense had 335 yards of offense but only managed to score 17 points on 11 offensive drives.

Khalil Mack wasn't happy with the defense's performance as the Chargers still came up short.

“Wasn’t good enough on the track,” Mack said in the team minutes. “We have to approach it as players and hold ourselves to a higher standard.”

Mack admitted there was a different energy in this match as the Chiefs offense was forced to work a little harder than in previous games. However, the end result remained the same.

“They did better at situational football,” Mack said. “Other years it was like there was a glitch here and a glitch there and they could get over 20 points. Today seemed to be a little more difficult for her.”

“We all just wish we had done a few more (pieces),” Morgan Fox added.

The Chargers lost a 10-7 halftime lead for the second straight game. It's almost as if the offense was exhausted in the second half, something offensive coordinator Greg Roman will have to address.

One of the main contributors to the unit's struggles was a decimated offensive line. Left tackle Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt missed the division game due to injuries.

The offensive line allowed two sacks and ten quarterback hits. The running game was not explosive and only ran for 55 yards.

The offense resulted in seven penalties, five of which were against offensive linemen. Going into the game, the Chargers preached the “next man up” mentality.

But against the best in the AFC West, the backups couldn't stop Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.

The Chargers were shut out for the final three quarters of their 17-10 loss. It was also the second week that the team entered the fourth quarter with the score tied.

Last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was largely attributed to Justin Herbert's absence in the final frame.

This week, Herbert was on the field to finish the game. But it still wasn't good enough.

The Chargers need to reevaluate an offensive unit that goes quiet after halftime, an alarming trend in recent weeks.