Visitor:  San Diego Chargers

Home:  Kansas City Chiefs

Date:  September 13, 2010

Monday Night Football

 

Scoring:

Team               1          2          3          4          Final

SD                   7          0          7          0            14

KC                  7          14        0          0            21

 

Visitor playmakers:

TE Antonio Gates, WR Legedu Naanee, DE Shaun Phillips

 

Home playmakers:

RB Jamaal Charles, TE Tony Moeaki, WR Dexter McCluster, DT Glenn Dorsey, DE Tamba Hali,

 

Network:  ESPN

Announcers:  Brad Nessler, Trent Dilfer

 

Pregame:  Yes

Halftime:  Yes

Postgame:  Yes

Commercials:  Yes

 

Grade:  9/10

 

Notes:  Desperate to proclaim an official end to one of the darkest periods in team history, the Chiefs hit San Diego with two long touchdown strikes and then stopped Philip Rivers in the shadow of the goal line four times in the final minute, preserving a 21-14 victory Monday night over the four-time AFC West champions.

 

Jamaal Charles ran for a 56-yard touchdown for the Chiefs after Rivers' 3-yard TD pass to Antonio Gates put the Chargers on the board first. Then rookie Dexter McCluster, a training-camp sensation with quickness and flair, broke a team-record by one yard with a 94-yard punt return for a 21-7 halftime lead.

 

Rivers, who has had some of his finest days during a five-game winning streak over Kansas City, victimized a young secondary for several long gains. Legedu Naanee was all alone when he hauled in a 59-yard scoring pass to make it a one-touchdown game with 2:23 left.

 

Rivers then drove his team to a first-and-goal from the 4. His first pass was incomplete, then Darren Sproles lost 2 yards. Another pass sailed high. Then, with 39 seconds left, Rivers missed on fourth down, and a rain-soaked crowd erupted in cheers as the Chiefs won on Monday night for the first time in 10 years.

 

A pounding rain began falling in the second quarter, and it didn't taper off until the start of the fourth.

 

Running time:  3:29 (3 DVDs)