Surprise: Justin Herbert starts for Chargers, who outplay Chiefs to 14-6 halftime lead
The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes were outplayed by the Chargers and a quarterback making his first NFL start during Sunday’s opening two quarters at SoFi Stadium
The Chargers took a 14- halftime lead behind Justin Herbert, who threw for one touchdown and rushed for another. His 14-yard pass to Jaley Guyton on third-and-goal capped a 71-yard drive that was kept alive by a fourth-and-1 conversion at midfield.
The Chiefs will get the ball to open the second half.
Taylor’s injury opens door for Herbert
Tyrod Taylor and Herbert each took snaps and played catch on the sideline before the game.
But after the Chargers won the toss and elected to receive, it was Herbert, the rookie from Oregon, who jogged onto the field. Taylor had suffered a rib injury during warmups. Taylor was ruled out of the game entirely in the second quarter.
What a start for Herbert, the No. 6 overall NFL Draft selection. He led the Chargers on a 79-yard touchdown drive. He capped the possession with a 6-yard touchdown run, becoming the first Chargers’ quarterback to rush for a touchdown in 141 games.
Meanwhile, Mahomes and the Chiefs could muster next to nothing against the Chargers’ defense in the first quarter. Three possessions netted 45 total yards and two first downs.
The KC offense finally produced in the second quarter. Mahomes capped the draft with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce. Mahomes rushed for 24 yards on two runs to keep the possession alive.
Special teams give and take
Chiefs second-round draft pick Willie Gay Jr. showed his special teams value when he got his hands on a Ty Long punt. The Chargers got a fortunate bounce and the punt traveled 31 yards, but Gay made an athletic play.
But it wasn’t a clean first half for the Chiefs’ special teams. Harrison Butker powered through the extra point after the Chiefs’ first touchdown. But deep snapper James Winchester was flagged for holding, and the back-up extra point try, attempted from the 43, was blocked, keeping Los Angeles ahead 7-6.
Oddities of a fan-less stadium
Other NFL teams had experienced games with no fans. This was a first for the Chiefs, and how odd it all seemed.
Chiefs fans historically have traveled by the thousands to Chargers games, whether in San Diego, Los Angeles or Mexico City. If there were fans near SoFi Stadium Sunday, they couldn’t even hang out in the parking lots that surround the $5 billion structure.
Inside the new venue, which resembles AT&T Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys’ home in Arlington, Texas, only photographers and security personnel could be seen in the aisles during the game.
When the Chiefs took the field 12 minutes before kickoff the only noise came from Clark Hunt’s suite above the team’s sideline.
This story was originally published September 20, 2020 at 4:52 PM.