Dec. 17—INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Thursday night’s showdown between the Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers had it all.

Squandered opportunities? Indeed, as the Chiefs couldn’t do anything with the Chargers’ turnovers ... and the Chargers sure love going it for it on fourth down and not converting, don’t they?

One of the teams, however, had to win the back-and-forth game with the AFC West and postseason implications on the line.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made sure it was his team, throwing for 410 yards and three touchdown to lead the Chiefs to a 34-28 victory in overtime.

“It was a battle,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “This was two heavyweights going after each other.”

The Chiefs had an opportunity to blow it open early. They got on the board first with a customarily efficient drive, going 95 yards in 11 plays. Fullback Michael Burton gained 20 yards on a screen pass and capped the march with a 7-yard touchdown run.

The Chiefs were up 10-0 before the Chargers took a 14-10 lead behind quarterback Justin Herbert’s 1-yard touchdown run and 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jalen Guyton in the second quarter.

They took their best shots at each other from there, trading touchdowns twice before heading to overtime.

Mahomes denied the Chargers an opportunity to score in OT, taking the Chiefs the distance on the first possession of extra time and hitting tight end Travis Kelce for the game-winning 34-yard touchdown.

“What a game,” Reid said. The Chiefs are now 10-4 and hold a two-game lead over the Chargers in the AFC West.

MAHOMES VS. HERBERT

Forget Mahomes vs. Josh Allen or Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson as the marquee AFC quarterback showdown.

The battle to watch will happen twice in the same division for the foreseeable future.

Everyone knows Mahomes is special, and he has the MVP hardware to prove it. But Herbert will be a twiceyearly problem for the Chiefs for as long as he’s in a Chargers uniform.

Thursday night marked Herbert’s fourth career game against Kansas City, and he has thrown for 1,130 and totaled 13 touchdowns (10 passing, three rushing) with one interception.

“He makes that Chargers team one of the best teams in the National Football League,” Kelce said. “They’ve always got a chance.”

Are you not entertained? MAGNIFICENT DUO Wide receiver Tyreek Hill needed to adjust this season to how defenses were playing the Chiefs’ offense in 2021. As such, the big plays down the field this season have been missing and he hadn’t produced consistent chunk gains.

Until Thursday night. Hill gashed the Chargers with 12 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown. He hauled in a 40-yard catch, and produced his first 100-yard receiving campaign since Week 6.

“Tyreek Hill was unbelievable with the job that he did,” Reid said.

Kelce, too, had an extraordinary game, tallying 10 catches for 191 yards, including a 69-yard gain and that winning TD catch. Kelce averaged 19.1 yards per catch Thursday night, Hill 12.3.

BOLTON’S A ROOKIE?

The Chiefs have themselves a good one in rookie linebacker Nick Bolton. He plays like a savvy veteran.

Entering the game with a team-high 88 tackles, he was everywhere Thursday and continued to show why he must be on the field at all times. Bolton tallied a team-high 14 stops, a quarterback hit and three passes defensed, including a pass he tipped that teammate Anthony Hitchens then intercepted.

Willie Gay Jr. didn’t play because he’s on the reserve/ COVID-19 list, but the rest of the Chiefs’ linebacker corps, Bolton especially, rose to the occasion.

“Nick Bolton on defense had a nice night,” Reid said.

FIRST-AND-GOAL NO GOOD

Perhaps it was a glitch in the Matrix, but the Chiefs fed the Chargers some déjà vu in the first half.

Los Angeles’ drive featured a first-and-goal at the Chiefs’ 5-yard line, but two dropped passes led to the Chargers turning it over on downs.

Then, the Chargers had another first-and-goal at the Chiefs’ 5-yard line with less than a minute remaining until halftime. But a dropped pass, two stuffed runs and a pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage by Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen on fourth down led to another stuff as time expired.

Blown opportunities for the Chargers as the Chiefs’ defense stood its ground.

Chargers coach Brandon Staley went for it on fourth down five times in the game, converting twice.

ROSTER SHUFFLING

Thursday night saw multiple adjustments to the Chiefs’ roster. Some were made because of missing personnel, while one move saw a player return to the starting lineup. After missing time because

After missing time because of an injury to his ribs, rookie Lucas Niang resumed his role as the starting right tackle. Andrew Wylie, who started the previous four games in Niang’s place, returned to a backup role.

Mike Hughes started at right cornerback in L’Jarius Sneed’s place for a second straight game. Hughes, though, didn’t light up the box score like he did last weekend. A healthier Rashad Fenton also allowed the Chiefs to keep Tyrann Mathieu at his customary safety spot. Fenton manned the nickel role.

The final two modifications were out of necessity because defensive lineman Chris Jones and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. remained on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Derrick Nnadi filled in for Jones, while Ben Niemann lined up alongside Hitchens and Bolton in the team’s 4-3 base alignment.

“They all picked up the pieces,” Reid said.

Jones’ absence in the middle of the defensive line hurt the most. The Chargers ripped off chunks of rushing yards in the first half, totaling 103 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. They finished with 192 yards on 39 carries.

INJURIES

None of note.

INACTIVES

Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, offensive lineman Kyle Long, offensive lineman Prince Tega Wanagho, rookie quarterback Shane Buechele and rookie safety Zayne Anderson were not dressed.

UP NEXT

The Chiefs return home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 on Dec. 26 at Arrowhead Stadium.