NFL Game Summary - Kansas City at San Diego
San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Cairo Santos' third field goal of the game came with 21 seconds left and gave the Kansas City Chiefs a 23-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers in an AFC West battle.
Alex Smith was 19-of-28 for 221 yards and a touchdown, while Jamaal Charles added 22 carries for 95 yards and a score for the Chiefs (3-3), who were coming off their bye after losing to the 49ers in Week 5.
Philip Rivers went 17-of-31 for 205 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for the Chargers (5-2), who lost for the first time since dropping their opening game of the season at Arizona.
"We didn't make enough plays. No excuses at all," Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said. "We have to do our job."
Nick Novak's second field goal of the fourth quarter, a 48-yarder with 1:57 to play, had tied the game and Kansas City wound up with the ball at its own 8- yard line after a holding call on the kickoff.
Smith, though, scrambled for nine yards and a face mask on San Diego tacked on another 15. A 19-yard catch by Dwayne Bowe was followed by catches of 16 and eight yards by Travis Kelce to get the ball to the San Diego 30.
The next two passes fell incomplete and Santos came out to drill a 48-yard field goal just inside the right post for a 23-20 lead with 21 seconds to play.
"For a rookie to step up...with the game on his back, that's a tribute to him," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, whose teams are 14-2 coming off a bye, said of his kicker.
Kurt Coleman then picked off Rivers to seal the victory.
Each team had their first two possessions end in punts, but San Diego found success on its third touch of the game to take the initial lead.
An 11-yard run by Branden Oliver was followed by a 20-yard catch from Eddie Royal. A pass interference call later put the ball at the KC 1, and the next snap saw Rivers use a soft toss to a wide open John Phillips for a 7-0 lead with 3:15 left in the first.
The Chiefs answered on their ensuing touch, getting a 26-yard catch from Bowe that got the ball down to the San Diego 20. The first play of the second quarter saw Charles take a handoff around the right side before cutting it over the middle and into the end zone on a 16-yard score.
Following a quick three-and-out from San Diego, Kansas City got the ball back at its own 34 and ate up 9 1/2 minutes of clock over 14 plays. The drive stalled at the San Diego 10, and Santos hit a 28-yard field goal from a 10-7 lead with 3:13 left in the first half.
After each team punted once, the Chargers had the ball at their own 20 with under a minute to play. On the fifth snap, Rivers found Antonio Gates for 27 yards down to the Kansas City 27. The next play saw Rivers again go for Gates, and the big tight end came down with the score as the pass was tipped by a defender and into his hands to give the team a 14-10 lead at the break.
Starting the second half with the ball, the Chiefs went 63 yards over 12 plays, eating up 6 1/2 minutes and making it a one-point game on Santos' 40- yard field goal.
After a brief three-and-out from the Chargers, Kansas City again went on a long drive and on the first play of the fourth quarter, Smith hit Anthony Sherman for a short pass, and the fullback banged his way into the end zone on an 11-yard score to give the team a 20-14 lead.
The Chargers responded with a 12-play, 77-yard drive that was capped off by a 24-yard field goal from Novak with 9:36 to play. The big play of the march was a 14-yard catch from Malcom Floyd on 3rd-and-14, with Kansas City challenging the spot but seeing the ruling on the field standing to give San Diego a first down.
San Diego's next touch saw a 22-yard pass interference call on Kansas City, along with a 14-yard catch from Keenan Allen to set up a 48-yard field goal from Novak.