Chiefs-Chargers TNF Recap

Chiefs thirty four Chargers. I'm Greg Rosenthal in what is shaping up to be a throwback night in the westling manner, next to one of my best friends in the world, Lakeisha Wesley, and the Chiefs threw it back. That felt like Chiefs Patrick Mahomesa making some magic at the end of regulation and breaking the Chargers hearts once again. Now that was such I think I'm still in shock and how that ended. I know your mom was in shock. Rhoda came in with about two minutes left. She's she's

saw that it was one Chargers. We must be real here. We were kind of pulling for the Chargers tonight. They're the hometown team. We were enjoying the story. She was excited to watch the last uh couple of minutes, and I think what we've found out what Rhoda found out, and I think what Dan hands is his kids found out because they're at the game tonight, is this is what a Chargers fan. Uh, it's what it's like to

be a Chargers fan. Because just when you felt like Patrick Mahomes and this Chiefs team like wasn't really themselves, the last three drives of that game, they go touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, and it starts with that Kelsey play where he's making all or it's a crazy uh moves in the open field. He never makes sense because he's not that fast, Like I don't know whatever. You can defend him like every time and I just look around him, like where where,

Where's where are the defenders? I don't understand, Well, they're on the bench. Derwin James was out at the end of that game. I think that was big for them because the seer out of Lee, who who's the starter at safety, took some bad uh angles on those plays. But still he's got the two of them. Mahomes and Kelsey have like a sense of where the open spots

on the field was. But there was a point in this game where I almost felt like Patrick Mahomes needed it to be difficult to actually make the plays, Like he can't make the routine plays. He's got to make the plays where they're just improvising. That's when they're at their best. A two point conversion play comes to mind. When they went to go try to tie it up twenty one all he has a wide open throw in the flat, doesn't take it, a little spooked out because

Nuohsu had already intercepted a past like that. Mahomes had short armed another pass like that in fourth and goal. This game had everything was absolutely insane game, So he doesn't take that. Then he sees his secondary rechiever streaking wide open. Doesn't take that. It doesn't want it. I don't know why. It's almost like Patrick Mahomes needed the chaos. I'm kind of like that too sometimes sometimes you know, you I'm not saying I'm Patrick Mahones, but you know

I'm close when it comes to podcasts. Like I'm kidding, but like it's almost like doing the easy stuff is too easy for him, and he didn't want either of those two throws. So what does he do. He starts sprinting around and he find throws the ball across his body. Hits the two point conversion and then it was like it was on the next two drives. I did not feel too confident when the Chiefs won that overtime coin toss and it ruined a great effort by the Chargers.

I just, man, seriously, was so far up for that entire game and just to like end like that is just like, okay, so that's fair. But Chiefs fans are listening to this like you're killing us here, and neutral fans are listening to this thing, and you guys are being silly because this was like a great game. This was one of the games of the year. It had everything. With the failed fourth down conversions, Uh, don't even talk

about that, turnovers on both sides. Uh. It ends up with the Chiefs almost getting five hundred yards from scrimmage the Chargers get over four hundred yards, like these two quarterbacks going back and forth in the fourth quarter and then into overtime like that's what we want. And it hurts for Chargers fans, but they split with the Chiefs this year that they are not going to win this division. They are now down to with three to play, and

they got swept. It's over. This was a huge result in terms of the Chiefs trying to get that number one seed, and now it's gonna be that much more difficult here for the Chargers to make the playoffs. And they're they're not they're not hosting a game, and so far, I'm sorry, I'm pumped for the playoffs though, like bring it on, Like I'm I'm ready for these games to

really mean some stuff. Well that that is what I was thinking watching this tube is was like December Football's I'm not gonna say it's underrated, but I think people forget the point of the Like last three to four weeks of this season are the best three to four. I like week one, but after that because you're back and just excited for everything. But after that, the last few weeks, when these games mean more, really are the

best games. And I thought Monday Night's game was like the first Oh, like that that changes a little bit how I see the rest of this season. And then this was another game that we will absolutely remember. And but part of the reason is the fourth downs, So let's talk about them. They frustrating you. At the time, I was just like, you know, I get it, but now looking back, it's like, dangn did they really leave

all those points out there? Like? Okay, they did, But that's part of the process, I think, And I know there's a lot of people that are that are killing them for this. First of all, I hate the people that they like it when it works and they're mad when it doesn't. And I guess what I would say is like, get used to it, because this is how

football is gonna be played sometimes. Now, not always, not all coaches gonna be like that, but when you have a baller like Justin Herbert and a coach like Brandon Salley, it's gonna it's gonna be played like this sometimes. The second thing I would say is like, they went for it on fourth down on one of their touchdown drives, So you're adding those points up when you're taking those field goes away because you gotta They hit another fourth

down also later in the game. Uh, and then they ended up fumbling on the one which was right before my homes through the interception, and so it's like that fourth down and eventually ended up helping, you know, set up scores. And as much as like you don't want to hear like that, the math makes sense of it all. The fact that they hit that one fourth down and scored a touchdown on that drive, even though they didn't get the other two times, like they were still in

this game because they scored the touchdown earlier. So like to me, it all makes sense. And it also comes down to, like everyone wants to talk about decisions because like we've played Madden and like we can kind of imagine being coaches more than than being players. But like they could have scored those touchdowns, they just didn't. I I don't understand why everyone takes the agency away from the players. Mike Williams dropped a touchdown on that first

drive before the fourth down. That fourth down was a good throw. It didn't end up being complete because Donald Parham got hurt. Well we'll mention that in a second. That and that is a scary situation, and so that's why that didn't happen. Another one, you know, Jared Cook couldn't hold down to a ball that he could have. Another one is tipped. But the plays before that, in those plays, it's like those are the two teams going at each other in an athletic competition, and on those

plays the Chiefs one and the Chargers lost. So it's like that's what sports is to me, you know what I mean. Like, and so people get so worked up about the fourth down decisions, like you left points on the board. There's no guarantee the charge is gonna hit that those kicks, especially not the forty eight yard or uh. But it's also like make those plays. They dropped two touchdowns. Yes, they could have scored fourteen more points, but it was

just like they didn't. They didn't make the plays. They definitely made the game way more exciting that I will say that. I mean they didn't need to. I didn't need it to be more exciting. I was just like, roll up some points, because the whole time you're watching this, you're thinking they needed to pile up points early when their defense was actually playing dotty well against Mahomes. They give up the opening drive touchdown, that first drive. You

knew it right then. You were like, this is not good. This is not good. When they didn't score. Yeah, when they didn't score. I mean when a Charger's game starts with Mike Williams basically two drops and you know, one in the end zone, one on the one yard line where he fumbles it backwards a couple of yards and then the par and play which was which was really scary. And he he is in the hospital now we might as well mention it. Um. They're not saying anything other

than stable condition. But he's a tight end for the Chargers, big dude six seven, And uh, we're just hoping and praying that he's okay because that was one of the scariest hits we've seen. And that's it's it's so unfortunate and just that that play being a big play in the game is almost like a a sideline to everything that happens. But I guess my point is, like, yeah, they they should have run Austin Ekeler a little more. That would have been nice. Like when they did he

did score a touchdown. Um, but it's like you go, you know, like why get so mad at the decision? Why why not just be like she's she's won those plays you got if you're the Chargers, Like, I get what Brandon Staley's trying to do, and I'm with it. I'm with it. He's a cold Sorry, we just looked at her. She's just like whatever. Justin Herbert was pretty

cold here. I mean I mentioned this to you before he even came over here that this is like a year where I've watched the least amount of football, just because it's like I'm usually running around with old one and a half year old trying to pay attention to a game, and just I hear so much about Justin Herbert and just to like, you know, be able to watch an entire game and just to see like the throws and plays that he made, it's just like wow.

I mean, yeah, you you told me that. When we come over, You're like, don't you know you gotta do the heavy lifting, And I'm like, please, this will be people's favorite there is anything because we got like Wesley, this is a big get for me. Uh Like Rhoda is a big part of that. We kind of offloaded the link duty. She was watching links so that you could be like, Rhodes come an take notice. I just yeah, no, no, but Rhodes come a long way from like the ghost

plays and stuff like. That's one reason why I was so excited to have you over here. But you didn't get a chance to really watch that much with her because she her knowledge has just she's crazy. Tyler Huntley. You didn't even know about Tyler Huntley. She was saying like that that that was his you know, he's a little lamar and the excitement level like that's I still

have that childlike excitement watching these games still. And yes I will mention Greg got up two times to do a little dance, I know, and then it all went for not but no, some of the things I really liked about her burn this game, I'll be like the arm strength and everything. But late in that game, um, when they started mixing tempo, when they were like speeding

it up and flowing it down. The one thing, uh that they didn't do, though, is get the game winning field goal when it's I mean, you have to give Herbert credit for, you know, getting to fourth quarter drives to take touchdown leads. It's like they did ultimately, uh move the ball and then get that touchdown to go

up one. But they did get the ball back with a minute and twelve, I want to say something like that left with their time outs a chance to get it, and that to me was the key sequence of the game. Because the Chiefs forced a couple in completions, there was a penalty by the Chargers and the Chiefs got off the field there in a moment where it was like, I didn't think it was gonna happen. I thought I was gonna do it. Mhm, shaking her head, all right.

Some other images from this game. It ended and they showed this on the Fox. I don't I don't know if people saw this unless you watch the post game. I didn't see it until then. After Kelsey scores the game winning touchdown, Mahomes gets up and he is yelling something fierce. I don't know exactly what he's saying, but he's gesticulating with his arms over at the charger's sideline, and that was something that was a division robbery. I don't know if he's talking to someone else, but I

don't think so. He's talking to everybody that was saying, like, you know, he's falling off and everything. It was. It wasn't as obvious as the Aaron Rodgers I own you, you know, because we didn't. We didn't hear exactly what he was saying. But he was looking at the opposite sideline and he was telling them where the a f C. West goes through, that we are the champ still and this.

I think the Chiefs have had a couple of moments like this during the season I think the throw he had at the end of the Packers game was like this, but if ever they needed to feel a little bit more like the Chiefs. He's pointing to his chest. It's like, basically, you better get those four downs against me, you better

put up forty five. And I do think that's big for Kansas City as they move forward to to get a win like this against a team that really plays like the type of defense that in theory has been given the charge. The Chiefs the most amount of struggles this year, and normally I usually root for the Chiefs because of my Midwest ties, but I'm rooting for Chargers ram Super Bowl like Chargers have been there before, like

I want something different. I just I work with so many Chargers fans and it's just like to see the depression that they had for so many years, and just Chargers are going to charge like they deserve it. And yet this was like the ultimate Charges charging because it was setting up that way the whole time, and they roped you in with the great way that her replayed. And that's why I don't think for the most part

that the Chargers are charging. I think they're a little bit of a fo odd team that's playing their best late in the season. I still feel pretty good. I think that they're gonna make the playoffs. But this was a game where derwy Derwin James leaving late or was a little bit after half time to me, to me was it was massive. I'm just I was, you know, we're all winners tonight. I got to come over here. Yes,

it's like it. Yeah, so many thursdays of you and West and me looking at you and West taking notes wondering what you guys are writing down and just like the scientist at work, like it was. It was awesome. Like I was getting like a little kid before he even like got over here. So this was a great evening. No, I when I think I wanted to get linked saying touchdown, touchdown,

and he wouldn't do it for you. It's so frustrating because now, like even if I have like the Round the NFL podcasts on, like he'll just start yelling like touchdown, touchdown, and it's the freaking cutest thing. And I even said, like uncle Greg's coming over and he was like touchdown. I'm like you gotta do that when he gets here, and then he like phrases up and it's just like, come on, dude, Yeah, I mean, kids are like that.

But the fact that he's already in the car and first of all that you're playing the podcast and the car is impressive. It was after I watched splint Ins. Just gonna say good splint En. Um. Yeah, people gotta just listen to him back to back. I UM, I don't know how I think of Chris so so much. Obviously, I thought of him a lot when we went to that Chargers game, um against the Steelers. I really missed him there and I was kind of pissed, you know that,

Like anger came to me that night. But tonight and like Thursday Nights are such great memories. I really associate him with Thursday Nights because when we were doing it out of the office, it was very often me and him um, and that was like one of my favorite ways to watch a game that I've ever had in my whole life because we were sitting there. We were both facing this same way, so we have the desk

next to each other. You remember the setups, and it's the only time that you're we're sitting together watching the game and there's there's no other games on, like you can take the game as it's coming. And so we talked the whole time. We'd be we'd be commenting the whole time, what we liked, what we didn't, what we saw everything, and that was just like best, you know. And then it's like, okay, it's half time. You gotta go like run upstairs, try to get there early to

get in line. And then we'd be like complaining in line and like talking about what happened in the first half, and you're making small talk with everyone that's there. Make me cry because I used to like get the food first, and I try to um because I know sometimes you guys would get so busy, so I'd always try to snag them like a plate because once you guys would go into the food will be like all gone, oh wow, yeah.

And eventually our our other great friend that we missed to, our deaker, would hook us up with the with like the talent food line just be like, you guys can come come into this kitchen get better food. So eventually we would do that. But that was that was like I think of him more just like about the times we had as just friends. But to me, that was like great football times. And then we brought it to a few years later we would start doing that over here.

So we started, you know, taping the TNF games here and the same conversations that it started. We we just got you know, I think Dan Dan or Ricky Erica got the idea that we had the equipment we could start just like ping ponging and do it at home, and that was a great idea. And so then it was like that same experience, except of course I got to eat your food, which oh yeah, I wanted to take this in the green room today, but it's a little nippy out there. Um. So we're we always are

thinking of Chris. I know our our listeners are too, um and we appreciate that, you know, and so we it. I always embrace the opportunity to like feel him a little closer. So I definitely do tonight sitting here watching the game, and I got in and Justin Herbert was his dude last year that we would talk about the most that wrote about it in QB Index. I thought this was like the perfect night, you know, Justin Herbert,

our guy playing great. And then I remembered every other time I watched the Chargers with West and it would be the same thing. I picked the Chargers. I would get all into the Chargers and they wouldn't. They would lose the game and heartbreaking fashion. So this is this is just like just like it always was. This is a perfect game for tonight. So we uh we appreciate everyone listening and whatever whatever you think you uh want to do in your life. That means like he'd the call,

you know. To me, it means like coming here. That's heating the call, like being with the people you love, having having beautiful time. So I hope, I hope everyone's doing out that out there their families and everything um this holiday season, and we'll see everyone on Sunday till then, keep the co