An injury and missed field goal are Chargers’ pivot points

From a Chiefs standpoint, their 33-27 overtime triumph over the Chargers was constructed with big plays and moments.

That also goes the other way. The Chargers also had moments that contributed to their downfall.

The first occurred late in the second quarter when wide receiver Keenan Allen went down with an injury, suffering what could be an ACL tear. He didn’t return to the game.

Allen was playing in his first game after missing eight games last season with a lacerated kidney. He missed both games against the Chiefs and was off to a terrific start with six receptions for 63 yards, mostly against cornerback Marcus Peters.

“He was getting me the first few series,” said Peters, who suggested the Chargers might have won had Allen remained healthy.

The Chargers led 21-3 at halftime, stretched it to 24-3 in the third quarter and led 27-10 early in the fourth quarter when kicker Josh Lambo missed wide on a 54-yard field goal.

A second turning point had occurred. With a short field, the Chiefs quickly drove for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 10 with 9:23 remaining.

“I knew we had a shot at that point,” Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said.

Chargers coach Mike McCoy said the reward of a long field-goal attempt was a worth the risk.

“I had all the confidence in the world with him,” McCoy said. “We didn’t make it and we’re still going to have to stop them regardless. We had doing an outstanding job all game long but we didn’t do a very good job after that and that was a turning point.”

This story was originally published September 11, 2016 at 7:29 PM with the headline "An injury and missed field goal are Chargers’ pivot points."