KC Chiefs: 5 things we learned in week 2 overtime win vs Chargers

2. The defense can make a key stop, even with injuries

The injuries on the defensive side of the ball were very notable and the Chiefs looked like the 2018 unit as a result. They allowed rookie Justin Herbert to play quite well and nearly win the game, but the big thing we learned in this game is that when push came to shove, the defense got the stop it needed.

This came in overtime when the Chargers won the coin flip and obviously elected to receive the ball first. The Chiefs defense forced a 3 and out and I was a bit perplexed why the Bolts didn’t just go for it on 4th and short, but they put the faith in their defense and that didn’t work out for them.

The Chiefs defense wasn’t able to make key stops in 2018 and it cost the team a trip to the Super Bowl, but they showed this season that even with a slew of injuries, they can come through in crunch time.

3. Patrick Mahomes is capable of having really bad games

We knew this for the most part, but what makes Mahomes so special is that he might be having a bad performance for the entire game, but 1 play changes everything. That’s exactly what we saw in this one, as Mahomes was struggling to do much of anything for the first 3 and a half quarters.

Then, he connected on a 54-yard masterpiece of a throw to Tyreek Hill that ended up as a touchdown and the two-point conversion that followed tied the game. That was the turning point there and Mahomes played well in overtime, leading his team down the field enough to where Butker was comfortable knocking through the game winner.

Most quarterbacks will have a bad game and there really isn’t a “Yeah, but…” argument to make with their poor performance. That isn’t the case with Mahomes. He still played a huge role in them winning the game even if he wasn’t doing his part throughout the first 3 quarters.