The Chargers opened the second half with a 13-play, 79-yard drive that concluded with Gus Edwards’ 3-yard touchdown run. Following a Chiefs punt, the Chargers then went 74 yards on four plays, aided by 39-yard pass interference penalty on Justin Reid, to take a 14-13 lead. Herbert found Quentin Johnson for a 4-yard touchdown, the Chargers’ first TD pass in 13 quarters.
The Chiefs responded with Wright’s third field goal, this one from 50 yards after an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty against Trey Smith pushed Kansas City back.
The Chiefs settled for Wright’s 47-yard field goal on their opening drive, during which Mahomes passed Dan Marino for the most passing yards in the first eight years of a career.
Late in the second quarter, Herbert was hit by Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton, forcing him to miss a play and leading to the Chargers’ fifth punt. The Chiefs responded with a 9-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Hopkins’ TD catch.
Kansas City’s halftime lead was its largest of the season and it shut out an opponent in the first half for the first time.