The Los Angeles Chargers closed out the 2020 season with four-straight wins to improve to 7-9, after a 38-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
First quarter
The Chiefs opened the game with a 44-yard kick return by cornerback Rashad Fenton. From there, quarterback Chad Henne led a seven-play, 56-yard drive capped by a three-yard touchdown reception to wide receiver Byron Pringle to give Kansas City an early 7-0 lead.
The Chargers responded with 12-play, 75-yard drive that included another broken record for rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. He went 6-of-6 for 53 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Donald Parham Jr., which tied the game at 7-7 after a Michael Badgley extra point. The touchdown pass was also Herbert's 380th completion of the season, a new rookie record that was previously held by the Eagles' Carson Wentz.
For Parham Jr., it was his third touchdown on nine receptions this season.
Second quarter
Kansas City scored early in the second quarter after Darwin Thompson rushed up the middle for the touchdown to make it 14-7, Chiefs.
The Bolts were forced to punt on the next drive, but Mecole Hardman muffed the punt and Joe Reed recovered it to set his team up at the KC 17. Los Angeles capitalized on the KC miscue with Herbert finding Austin Ekeler for a four-yard touchdown to tie the game. The play was Herbert's 30th passing touchdown of the season making him the youngest QB in NFL history to throw for 30 scores.
Towards the end of the first half, Herbert kept the ball on fourth down and carried it for the score. But the play was reviewed, and overturned citing he was down before the ball broke the plane so KC got the ball at their own one-yard line.
The field position came back to benefit the Chargers defense as Isaac Rochell sacked Henne in the end zone for the safety, the Bolts' first since Oct. 13, 2016.
Off the free kick from the safety, the Chargers got down the field and tacked on another touchdown to their lead courtesy of a Herbert keeper. The team went for two and made it to take a 24-14 lead into halftime. The rushing touchdown gave Herbert five on the season, the most for a Chargers QB in a single season franchise history.
The Chargers will get the ball to start the second half.
The Los Angeles Chargers closed out the 2020 season with a 7-9 record after a 38-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Third quarter
The Chargers were forced to punt on their opening possession of the second half. Kansas City put together a 13-play drive that took up over seven minutes, but could not convert on a fourth-and-1 from Los Angeles' 30-yard line.
On the Chargers' next possession, Herbert found Williams for a 48-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 31-14. Williams has six receptions for 108 yards and a score through three quarters.
Herbert is 84 yards away from breaking the all-time rookie record for passing yards in a season. His 36 total touchdowns are the most by a rookie since the 1970 merger.
Herbert also joined Dan Fouts and Philip Rivers as the only Chargers quarterbacks with six or more games of at least three passing touchdowns in a season.
Fourth quarter
The Chiefs got back in the end zone in the final quarter of play with Henne finding Thompson for the running back's second total score of the day to bring it back within 10, 31-21, Chargers.
But on the next drive, Herbert connected with Tyron Johnson for 27, and on the next play, Justin Jackson took the ball down to the KC one off a 34-yard rush. Kalen Ballage then punched it in for the 38-21 lead.
