Seven stats you may have missed from Chiefs’ win over Chargers
The Chiefs went into Sunday’s game against the Chargers having already wrapped up the AFC West.
Moving up to the second seed in the AFC playoffs seemed like a long shot, but it came through thanks to the Chiefs’ 31-21 win and the Miami Dolphins’ 27-24 victory at New England.
While fans celebrated their team’s good fortune, here are seven stats they may have missed from the Chiefs win:
1. Go the distance
Running back Damien Williams now has two of the five longest rushing touchdowns in Chiefs history. He had a 91-yard run against Minnesota last month and went for 84 yards on Sunday. Here is the list:
91 yards: Damien Williams vs. Vikings, Nov. 3
91 yards: Jamaal Charles at Saints, Sept. 23, 2012
86 yards: Jamaal Charles vs. Colts, Dec. 23, 2012
84 yards: Damien Williams vs. Chargers, Sunday
84 yards: Ted McKnight at Seahawks, Sept. 30, 1979
2. Hardman’s return
In Week 17, Chiefs rookie receiver Mecole Hardman had the longest kickoff return of the 2019 season:
104 yards: Mecole Hardman, Chiefs
102 yards: Cordarrelle Patterson, Bears
101 yards: Jakeem Grant, Dolphins
100 yards: Jamal Agnew, Lions
92 yards: Brandon Wilson, Bengals
3. Hardman’s rookie first
The NFL noted that Hardman, who had an 83-yard touchdown reception against the Ravens, did something no rookie has ever done in league history:
4. West domination
After finishing with a 6-0 record against AFC West opponents, the Chiefs have a 27-3 (.900) record against divisional teams since 2015, the best winning percentage by any team against their own division in a five-season span since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
5. A Mahomes note
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is only the fifth NFL player with two seasons of 4,000-plus passing yards in his first three seasons. This is from ESPN:
6. Clark’s strong finish
Chiefs defensive lineman Frank Clark had just one sack in his first six games. But he finished the season tied for the team lead in that category:
7. Butker points
Kicker Harrison Butker had four extra points and a field goal on Sunday and finished with 147 points. That’s a single-season record for the most points by a kicker in franchise history. He had the second-most points for a Chiefs player in a season:
162: Priest Holmes, 2003
147: Harrison Butker, 2019
144: Priest Holmes, 2002
142: Harrison Butker, 2017
139: Nick Lowery, 1990
This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 8:52 AM.
