The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, 38-28, at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. on Sunday afternoon to kick off the regular season in the win column.
Tyreek Hill tallied 268 all-purpose yards in the victory, putting Kansas City (1-0) out in front almost right away with a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown on the Chiefs’ opening possession.
It was the first of three scores for the fleet-footed Hill, who hauled in a 58-yard pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes for a touchdown on the Chiefs’ next drive. It was Hill’s 13th career touchdown of more than 50 yards.
The score helped Kansas City build a five-point lead heading into halftime before quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the offense to 21 points in the second half.
That included quick pitches to wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas and Hill, who each trotted into the end zone from out of the backfield, and a 36-yard touchdown strike to fullback Anthony Sherman.
Mahomes completed 15 of 27 passes for 256 yards and four scores in the game, posting a 127.5 passer rating on the afternoon.
The Chiefs’ final touchdown – Mahomes’ 1-yard pitch to Hill early in the fourth quarter – was set up by a forced fumble deep in Chargers’ territory courtesy of Thomas. The fifth-year wide receiver punched the ball free from Los Angeles’ return man J.J. Jones, and long snapper James Winchester was right there to pounce on it.
The takeaway was the Chiefs’ second of the day, with the first being an interception by veteran safety Ron Parker. It continued quite the trend for the Chiefs’ defense, which has taken the ball away from Los Angeles 18 times since 2014 – the most of any team in the league.
Kansas City will look to continue its winning ways next week as the Chiefs travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers (0-0-1).