Justin Herbert expected to get X-rays after taking a big hit to the ribs; Chargers coach Brandon Staley confident the QB will be 'OK'; watch the NFL live on Sky Sports on Sundays at 6pm - Week Two triple-header kicks off with Bucs @ Saints, followed by Seahawks @ 49ers and Bears @ Packers
Tuesday 20 September 2022 06:32, UK
The Los Angeles Chargers blew a 10-point third-quarter lead to lose 27-24 to AFC West rivals the Kansas City Chiefs in a Thursday night thriller, a game in which Justin Herbert was shaken up with a rib injury but is said to be 'OK'.
Chargers quarterback Herbert is expected to get X-rays after a big hit by Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna in the fourth quarter saw him head to the trainer's room at Arrowhead Stadium, his left arm held tightly to his ribs.
Herbert ultimately only missed one play after the hit, returning to gamely try and rally his team to victory, while Chargers coach Brandon Staley said after the game that he is confident the Pro Bowl quarterback would be 'OK'.
Herbert finished with 334 yards and three touchdown passes, along with one interception that proved to be a costly pick-six, while Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw for 235 yards and two TDs in leading his team to a comeback victory.
Kansas City fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter and spent most of the game playing catch-up, still trailing by 10 early in the second half. Rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson finally put the home side up by seven in the fourth quarter when picking off Herbert and down near the goal line and returning it a massive 99-yards for the go-ahead score.
Things got worse for the Chargers as two series' later Herbert briefly left the field to injury; Kansas City running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire subsequently split the LA defense on a 52-yard run to set up a field goal that increased the Chiefs' lead to 10 with three and a half minutes to go.
Herbert returned to the game and valiantly tried to keep the Chargers in it. He threw a 36-yard dart on fourth down to extend their ensuing possession, then found Joshua Palmer in the back of the endzone on fourth-and-goal to pull LA to within three at 27-24 with just over a minute to go.
But Kansas City recovered the subsequent onside kick and ran out the clock to clinch a crucial divisional win and move to 2-0 on the season. Chargers drop to 1-1.
Chiefs
Chargers head coach, Brandon Staley: "It was just a tough NFL game and he [Herbert] took some big hits.
"None of those big hits had any impact on him bringing his team back the way he always does. I think that we're going to learn a lot more tomorrow."
[Concerns about Herbert going forward?]: "No, because he's Justin Herbert.
"You're not going to see a quarterback at any level of football play tougher and do more for their team and will their team to give them a chance more than him.
"There's nobody that can do what he can do, nobody. He showed a lot of guts, he showed us what he shows every day, that we're never out of the fight, and he brought us back and gave us a chance."
Chiefs rookie cornerback, Jaylen Watson: "I woke up knowing I was going to get a pick, honestly.
"I just knew, being a seventh-rounder, having my first start, I was going to get tested a lot and early, and I just felt I was going to get one today, and that's what happened.
"I don't even remember what happened in the moment. It was just all so surreal, I was just super thankful. The ball just ended up in my chest and I took it home."
Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in action this weekend live on Sky Sports.
Brady's Buccaneers, having got their season off to a winning start with victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week One, now travel to New Orleans to try and take down the Saints, who Brady has yet to beat in his four prior regular-season meetings while with the Bucs - including, most recently, a 9-0 shutout loss in December of last season.
Brady did, however, get the better of the Saints back in the divisional round of the 2020/21 playoffs, on the way to winning his latest ring. Sunday's match-up between these two NFC South heavyweights is sure to be another classic - and it is live on Sky Sports NFL from 6pm.
Following on from the action at the Superdome, we head west to San Francisco as the 49ers host their fiercest rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, in an NFC West grudge match to round off the Sunday night double-header (kick-off, 9.05pm).
Rounding off the Sunday night action, we join our friends at NBC for Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football, which sees those very same Bears travel to the Green Bay Packers, hoping to inflict a second-straight loss of the season on Aaron Rodgers' side (kick-off, 1.20am, Monday).
Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated channel for NFL coverage through the season - featuring a host of NFL Network programming. Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports - on the go!
