KANSAS CITY seized control of the AFC West with a dominant win over the turnover-happy LA Chargers.
After a competitive first half at Arrowhead Stadium, Los Angeles had four turnovers after the interval – three Philip Rivers interceptions and an Austin Ekeler fumble.
Alex Smith threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns while Kareem Hunt ran for 155 yards and a score in a 30-13 thrashing.
The Chiefs can secure the AFC West title and their playoff spot by winning either of their two remaining games against Miami or Denver.
The Chargers (7-7) led 13-10 early in the second half, but Rivers threw three interceptions – two of them to Marcus Peters – and Ekeler coughed up a fumble down the stretch.
That ended their four-game win streak and quite possibly their playoff hopes.
Rivers finished with 221 yards passing and a touchdown, but has thrown 13 interceptions during the Chargers’ losing streak to the Chiefs.
Melvin Gordon added 78 yards rushing and a score.
The game shaped up as a matchup of teams going in opposite directions.
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The Chiefs were 5-0 before watching their division lead waste away, while the Chargers started out 0-4 but won seven of their next nine to forge a near-winner-take-all divisional showdown at Arrowhead Stadium.
Instead, the Chiefs looked like they did in their week three win over the Chargers.
So did the Chargers, for that matter.
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