Kansas City Chiefs: 10 likes and 10 dislikes from win vs Chargers in week 2

Likes, 6-10

6. Rooks on the Defense

L’Jarius Sneed, the rookie fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, added his second interception in as many games for the Chiefs. And it came at an opportune time, too, with the Chiefs down by eight and the Chargers driving. (I thought this at the time, and I still think it in retrospect: Herbert should’ve run for the first down, kept the chains moving, and killed more clock than attempting this pass. Rookies, am I right?)

Sneed wasn’t the only rookie making plays on defense. How about this gnarly sack by fifth-round pick Mike Danna?

Not only did the former Michigan Wolverine jam the flat route, but he came off coverage to throw Herbert to the ground. Heck of a play by the rookie.

Speaking of which:

7. Hello, Willie

Willie Gay Jr., everybody! Chiefs fans are going to get to know Gay a lot better in the coming weeks. The Chiefs’ current starting linebackers just aren’t getting done the job. Sure, without preseason, Gay is behind the others on the playbook, but he showed he’s got big-play capability with his blocked punt. Let’s see him ahead of his positional veterans, who lack tight end Travis Kelce’s…

8. Quiet Brilliance

Kelce is so dang consistent. Even when the Chiefs have a rough game, he puts up an incredibly solid stat line of nine receptions (on 14 targets) for 90 yards and one touchdown, which put the Chiefs on the board.

What one word comes to your mind when you think of Kelce? For me, it’s fluid. He’s just so fluid out there with everything he does: his routes, his big plays, his touchdown receptions.

Really, he was the complete opposite of the team’s…

9. Two-Point Conversion

Maybe this pass from Mahomes to Mecole Hardman wasn’t flashy, per se, but it was sure crazy. I didn’t know what the heck had happened at first. How in the heck did Mahomes even know Hardman was there?

It’s these types of plays that gets to the opponents, gets right to their hearts, and strikes them with a good dose of…

10. Fear

You could tell the Chargers were scared, right? All of those shots to Keenan Allen on the sideline, moping, scowling as he knew there was nothing he could do while Mahomes had not only the football but the hot hand? That was fear right there.

Fear also came into play in overtime. When the Chargers faced 4th-and-1 in their own territory and decided to punt it? That wasn’t playing it safe. That was fear.

Anthony Lynn, the Chargers’ head coach whom I believe is (unfortunately) coaching for his job, decided to “play it safe” by booting away the pigskin instead of going for it and potentially not converting because he feared that the game would be quickly over if he gave Mahomes and the Chiefs offensive that short of a field.

Well, the game was over, just not as quickly.

Fear–it’s a helluva feeling.