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The Los Angeles Chargers came up just short against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, losing by a score of 27-24. It was a hard fought game between two powerhouses in the AFC West, and it showed just how competitive the division is going to be this season after the Chiefs have largely controlled it for the past six seasons.
Previous contests between high-powered offenses led by Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert typically resulted in more fireworks, but this game was fairly tame compared to the standard these two stars have set. Neither team wanted to make a massive mistake to give the other side free points, but ironically enough, the biggest mistake of the night ended up determining who won the game.
It wasn't the prettiest win for the Chiefs, and the Chargers will probably leave Kansas City wondering whether they just missed a great shot to take control of the division. With that in mind, let's dive in and take a look at the three Chargers who were most responsible for the team's tough loss to the Chiefs in Week 2.
3. Austin Ekeler
Austin Ekeler had a quiet start to the season in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, and he didn't have much more success against the Chiefs in Week 2. Ekeler had some success in the passing game, hauling in nine passes for 55 yards, but he only picked up 39 yards on 14 carries, which looks eerily similar to the 36 yards on 14 carries he had against the Raiders.
This is the second straight game where Ekeler has failed to eclipse three yards per carry, and it's fair to be a bit concerned with that development. He's also losing carries to Joshua Kelley and Sony Michel for whatever reason, and while it was nice to see him more involved in the passing game this time around, four of his nine receptions came in garbage time on Los Angeles' last drive when Herbert couldn't really throw the ball downfield.
Ekeler wasn't solely responsible for this loss, but his failure to make more of an impact on the ground certainly limited the Chargers offensively. This is the second straight week he's struggled to get anything going on the ground, and with Herbert potentially dealing with a serious rib injury, Los Angeles is going to have to figure out how to get Austin Ekeler going on the ground moving forward.
2. J.C. Jackson
J.C. Jackson made his debut for the Chargers last night after missing Week 1 due to an unexpected ankle surgery he had to get during training camp. Unfortunately, his first game with his new team wasn't much to write home about, and Jackson's involvement on one of the biggest plays of the game sees him end up on this list.
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For the most part, Jackson had an OK game, as Mahomes tried to pick on Asante Samuel Jr. for much of the night, but didn't have much success. But Jackson was the only guy in coverage of Justin Watson on his 41-yard touchdown, and he got absolutely burned by a guy who hadn't caught a pass in the NFL since the 2020 season prior to this game.
It wasn't a great look for Jackson considering all the money the Chargers spent on him this offseason, and while he very nearly broke the pass up, a touchdown is a touchdown. It's only one game, but Jackson is going to have to be better moving forward for the Chargers.
1. Justin Herbert
It's probably ridiculously unfair to put Justin Herbert on this list considering how he toughed it out and gave the Chargers a fighting shot to win this game right until the end despite clearly being limited by a rib injury. But prior to suffering that injury, Herbert made the big mistake that both teams were looking to avoid all night long by getting picked off by Jaylen Watson and watching him take it 99 yards the other way for six points.
That play was prior to Herbert's various injuries, and changed the tide of the game. Los Angeles was on the verge of retaking the lead after watching Kansas City storm back to tie the game up, but instead, the Chiefs ended up taking the lead off of a huge mistake from Herbert.
Without that interception, chances are the Chargers win this game. Even if they didn't score a touchdown on this drive, they would have likely had a field goal at the very least, which would have given them the lead back while also taking seven points off the board for Kansas City. Herbert should be praised for finishing this game, but it's clear his untimely interception cost the Chargers this game.
