But at the start, special teams sparkled
Wideout Tyquan Thornton returned the game’s opening kickoff 42 yards. Although the gain was substantially reduced by a penalty, it gave the unit some momentum. Rookie defensive back Nohl Williams downed Matt Araiza’s second punt of the evening at the Los Angeles 2-yard line, which led to Kansas City’s first defensive stop.
But all of that paled in comparison to what happened at the end of the first half. Getting the ball with 40 seconds left, Mahomes found Thornton for a 38-yard gain. Out of timeouts, Mahomes spiked the ball to stop the clock. Following back-to-back false start penalties, it looked like the team was going to waste a golden opportunity.
But after a pass to Noah Gray gained only three yards on a third-and-15 with 17 seconds left, the special teams unit was ready. With the clock running, the field goal unit sprinted onto the field, managing to snap placekicker Harrison Butker’s 59-yard attempt as the clock hit zero — and Butker narrowed the Chargers’ halftime lead to 13-6.
It’s not as if there weren’t special teams miscues, however. Later, Butker missed an extra point — and then a two-point conversion after the next score failed to make up the difference.