The Chiefs led by 14 points in the fourth quarter at home against the Chargers on Thursday night, but they didn’t wind up with a win.
Two touchdowns and a two-point conversion made the Chargers 29-28 winners and left the Chiefs at risk of losing the AFC West title after being ahead of the Chargers all season. Blame for that failure can be laid on the defense for not stopping the Chargers and on the offense for failing to run down the clock after the first Chargers touchdown, but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid wasn’t looking to point fingers after the game.
“As long as we learn from it, that’s the important thing right now,” Reid said, via ESPN.com. “You don’t take anything for granted at home or anywhere else. You have to bear down. ... The best thing we can do is learn from it and make ourselves a better football team.”
It’s not a new lesson for the Chiefs, although they usually wait until the playoffs to blow big leads. They lost at home to the Titans last year after leading 21-3 at halftime and led the Colts 38-10 on the way to a 45-44 loss in 2013.
The Chiefs will be back in the playoffs this year, but Thursday night did little to suggest that the result of that trip will be any better than past seasons.