While the Los Angeles Chargers led throughout most of Thursday’s game, the fourth quarter belonged to their opponents, the Kansas City Chiefs. As the game neared its end, it appeared as though the Chiefs would not only win but cover the spread. Then, a hobbled Justin Herbert either came to the rescue or stuck a dagger in your heart, depending on one’s perspective.
Herbert suffered a rib injury late in the fourth quarter. But after missing one play, the Los Angeles quarterback returned to the field down by seven. The Chargers still had to punt, though, and thanks to a big run from Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs kicked a field goal to go up 10 points late in the fourth quarter.
Despite the two-score deficit and his injury, Herbert returned to the field. He was clearly not right and, with ample space in front of him, elected to throw the ball away on a third-and-one. Something was obviously wrong. He seemed incapable of doing anything well — until the next play. On fourth down, Herbert threaded a pass to a double-covered DeAndre Carter for not only a completion, but a 35-yard gain.
After two short completions to Austin Ekeler and an incomplete pass, the Chargers faced another fourth down. Again, Herbert came through with a big throw, hitting Joshua Palmer for a seven-yard touchdown.
The PAT from Dustin Hopkins cut the deficit to 27-24. Hopkins then attempted an onside kick and while the Chiefs initially muffed it, none of the Chargers were close enough to recover. Even with the dogpile for the loose ball, it was clear that Kansas City had recovered. With that, Patrick Mahomes took two knees and the game ended. Los Angeles’ last-minute touchdown didn’t change the result of the game for anyone — unless you bet on it.
There was some variance to the spread but the Chiefs were favored by somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5 points. No matter where the bets were placed, the Chargers pulled off an epic backdoor cover. Of course, that drew a big reaction.
everyone who took the Chiefs to cover pic.twitter.com/SmOMeJGcgD
— Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) September 16, 2022
What a freaking cover by the Chargers
— Julian Edlow (@julianedlow) September 16, 2022
Chargers bettors looking for the backdoor cover pic.twitter.com/pom1K7lyYS
— John Ewing (@johnewing) September 16, 2022
It’s truly fitting that this game was the first Thursday Night Football game for Amazon Prime, with Al Michaels in the booth.