KANSAS CITY, Mo. — What they started in balmy Brazil, the Chargers finished on a bitter cold day at Arrowhead Stadium.
They completed a season sweep of Kansas City with a 16-13 victory, solidifying their own playoff chances while driving a stake through the postseason hopes of their AFC West rival.
The Chiefs, who haven’t missed the playoffs since 2014, were officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.
The come-from-behind victory gave the 10-4 Chargers a double-digit win total with three games to go and kept alive their designs on winning a division currently led by the Denver Broncos.
Cameron Dicker kicked three field goals to bring back the Chargers, who were facing a 13-3 deficit in the second quarter before scoring 13 unanswered points.
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes sustained an apparent leg injury late in the game and had to helped to the locker room. He was replaced by Gardner Minshew, who was intercepted by Derwin James Jr. to end the game.
With a temperature of 15 degrees at kickoff, this was the third-coldest game in Chargers history, although their defense looked at home in the frigid weather. Tuli Tuipulotu and Odafe Oweh each collected two sacks of Mahomes, and linebacker Daiyan Henley had a pivotal fourth-quarter interception of the Chiefs quarterback near the goal line.
Chargers safety Tony Jefferson was ejected in the fourth quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit on Tyquan Thornton that knocked the Chiefs receiver out of the game. Earlier in the second half, Jefferson flattened Rashee Rice with another huge hit.
It marked just the second time in 13 years the Chargers beat the Chiefs (6-8) twice in the same season.
The post Chargers sweep AFC West rival Chiefs to eliminate them from playoff contention appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
