After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

This is your operating system talking, not your computers or your phones, but your internal human operating system. I'm feeling a little overloaded. Here's how you can ease my stress. Close your eyes or softly gaze at something in front of you. Now inhale for four counts, exhale for six. Keep repeating.

Much better. Longer term, there's BetterHelp online therapy. They'll match us with a licensed therapist we can connect with via video, phone or chat. Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on our first month. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp online therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone or online chat.

Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. What do you know? It's happy Thanksgiving week. Oh, I get to say that for days.

I started out saying it on Sunday to my kiddos and their families at church. And now I get to say it for days to you. I'm sure you'll be tired of it. Or maybe you won't. Maybe you're like me and Thanksgiving is your favorite holiday. This one's gonna look a little different. Every year seems to be a little bit different, but it is Thanksgiving week and there's a lot on our plates. I know, I know.

I'm a total dork and that's okay. After a long weekend, after a ton of football, after a lot of driving, I am excited to be back in studio with you all. Excited to talk some football. Week 11 in the NFL and sometimes things change in the NFL.

Let's be fair. Every year we have roughly half the playoff field turnover and it'll definitely hold true this year. Especially if you think about the power teams and the powerful movers and shakers in the NFC where it's top heavy versus what's happening in the AFC. Where it's a total crap shoot.

Especially in divisions like the East, divisions like the North still. It's an incomplete, murky, muddled, shadowy picture. Even though we're into week 11. There's still two months to go. So much that could happen. Nothing's been decided. Infinite possibilities.

Yada, yada, yada. You know. But it's definitely not going to be what everyone expected. The NFL cannot be pigeonholed. Try as you might, the NFL cannot ever go according to your plans. And I just don't even make plans anymore. You know me, I'm a huge planner, but I do not plan NFL outcomes or NFL playoffs or Super Bowls or anything like that.

Because it just makes me look like I know nothing and have egg on my face. So I'm good with just watching it play out as it does. But even by those standards where roughly half the playoff field turns over every year. This season, it's like the NFL on steroids. And I don't mean that literally. It's reality show TV on steroids.

My goodness. Yes, things change. And yes, we've got all of that to look forward to as we move forward into the holiday season, into the new year. But gosh, every now and then when I watch the Kansas City Chiefs, I think the more things change, the more they stay the same in Kansas City. Do you all recall the early August, actually even earlier than that, summertime, the spring wide receiver movement, the number of changes and all the shuffling of the Chiefs offense, but specifically their receivers. And the conversation about how the offense would take a hit because there's no Tyreek Hill. And if you're looking at Tyreek's numbers, well, maybe you would say, hey, those yards could belong to Kansas City, except that wouldn't be the case.

Because Kansas City spreads the ball around, that's what they do. And there will always need to be opportunities for Travis Kelce to get his yards and his catches. And in addition to that, we've heard Andy Reid say it, they got a lot of guys to keep happy. And even on this Sunday night, when there's no Kadarius Toney, that was quick, come in, score, touchdown for the Chiefs, City game, even when they're not using Clyde Edwards' lair, it's very sparing, they have other guys who step up. And part of it is the talent and spotting the talent, Brett Veach and his scouting department, his front office, of course, Andy Reid and his coaching staff, Eric Bienemy, how they work these guys into the offense and the way that they find pieces that fit with Pat and what they want to do on the field.

But it's not just that. It's all of those things, yes, but it's also the Chiefs' system and playing with Patrick Mahomes in this offensive system, if you can produce, if you have talent, they will find it and they will use it to exploit opposing defenses. So it's partly the system, it's definitely the scouting, it's definitely the identification of how to use the various weapons to poke holes in a defense or to exploit the holes in a defense. And it's amazing how guys come in from other teams and Mahomes, because he's one of those quarterbacks that brings everybody up a step or two or three, it's pretty impressive to watch and it takes everybody. So I definitely am not telling you it's all Patrick Mahomes, but he's the one who has to incorporate all these guys on the field, of course, but it's the play calling, it's the play design, it's the offensive design, it's the work they do to get on the same page.

And yes, it's also the front office who brings these pieces in, recognizing that they may not have worked somewhere else, but we can use that, we can work with that. Right now, the Kansas City Chiefs, I think we have to say their demise was greatly exaggerated in the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs have the best record in the AFC. So yes, it is always changing, it's on certain ground, maybe even some quicksand in the NFL, but the more things change every now and then, the more they stay the same. And that's about system, and it's about culture, and it's about personnel, it's about the whole package. The Chiefs have the total package. So you can plug and play with Kansas City, as long as there are a few staples.

And those staples definitely include Mahomes, Reed, B. Enemy, Travis Kelsey. Build the beast.

It is a beast. I keep telling myself, maybe I'll do it over these few days at the end of the week, Thanksgiving, going to be up and down the road a little bit. Gotta listen to the Travis and Jason Kelsey podcast.

I just need to. I can imagine that is a hoot. We are live from the Rocket Mortgage Studios.

When you need cash out of your home in a simple way to get it, Rocket can. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Facebook. On our YouTube channel, we've got a brand new Thanksgiving slash football slash holiday cheer video that we recorded last week, and we were able to put that up on YouTube today so we can share that with you. Don't have a ton of time tonight to be able to talk about it or tell you about the goofiness, the general goofiness, only to say that it's on our YouTube channel, and you can find it, and it's special for this Thanksgiving week.

On Twitter, you can find me, ALawRadio. Wasn't sure Twitter would survive the weekend, but since I wasn't sure if Twitter would survive to Sunday, NFL Sunday, I decided I would post a ton of pictures from my weekend in Maine. It was really cool to be able to spend time with one of my oldest friends. We've known each other since we were 14, and it was gorgeous weather.

For those of you who are in the Northeast, you know the kind of weather I'm talking about, and it's not exclusive to the Northeast, but it was just drop dead gorgeous over the weekend in Portland. It was cold, very cold, and the one time that I went outside without my coat, I paid for it, but had so much fun taking photos. My friend is a semi-pro photographer. She sells a lot of her photos, and some of her techniques and her advice rubbing off on me, and so I really enjoyed taking photos. We actually enjoyed taking a ton of photos, and it was great to just check out. It was our Friendsgiving. Oh, the food. She's a better cook than me. I do not mind saying it, and so we had a blast. Exercising, cooking, exploring lighthouses, cooking, taking walks, cooking, eating, so much eating, but that's the perfect way to start Thanksgiving week.

It was awesome. So check out those photos. I think you'll like them. These are all my photos.

These are none of Colleen's, though I've got plenty of hers as well. We exchanged a lot, so yes, you can check them out on Twitter, ALawRadio. Still, Twitter is in a very precarious position, and maybe it's just that I'm a terrible follow, and I'm super abrasive, and people hate me, which I'm fine with, I guess, but the numbers on Twitter just keep dropping. And so I don't think it's because my football opinions are that abrasive, but yes, and if I'm losing followers by the bunches, I can imagine what some of the people, well, maybe not Ronaldo, who has, shoot, I forgot how many, 140 something million, who knows. Speaking of Ronaldo, the World Cup is underway. We're not going to talk a lot about the other football tonight. Maybe good looking helps, too.

I mean, maybe if I was more good looking, I would have more followers on Twitter. Maybe that's what producer Jay is trying to say. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. So let's get to this Sunday Night Football game, shall we?

We've got miserable Monday still ahead, mortified on Monday still ahead, and I have put a question up on both our social media sites that I hope you will answer sincerely. It's actually a sincere question that I will pose to you as we go through this first Sunday Night Football game. Can I say that this is the type of back and forth, the type of competition, the type of game the NFL envisioned when it put every single AFC West game in primetime TV?

This was what the league and the schedulers had in mind. Unfortunately for them, the Broncos and Raiders did not get the memo, but at least the Chargers and the Chiefs are game and gave us fireworks early on. Carter goes in motion left to right, fakes the handoff to Eckler, Herbert rolls to his right, now throws to his left, has wide open Josh Palmer, caught, touchdown Chargers! 50 yards, Herbert to Palmer. Matt Smith on Chargers radio. So yes, early fireworks and a 50 yard TD pass and Palmer is on the receiving end.

So of course we're all thinking this is going to be fun, buckle up. And yes, it definitely was a back and forth for almost the entire game. First down and goal to go at the 4 yard line, trailing by 4, snap to Mahomes, quick throw, near side he goes to Kelsey, bounces off the hit, comes on the angle and traps into the end zone, touchdown Kansas City! Kelsey on the tight end screen wide and a 4 yard touchdown gives the Chiefs the advantage early in the second quarter.

That's Mitch Holtus on Chiefs radio, keep that name in mind. Of course when you watch the Chiefs in any capacity, as long as Mahomes is on the field, as long as Travis Kelsey is on the field, it's going to be fireworks. That's my theme for Los Angeles, hosting this game. By the way, did you hear the Chiefs fans? The Chiefs fans travel well, but just in general, LA in this new stadium so far, which obviously the Chargers share with the Rams has become a destination. The Chargers have plenty of weapons themselves, it was good to see Keenan Allen back on the field, and while Justin Herbert may not have the same rapport with all of his receivers, and while we have seen a bit of a revolving door for him too, there are a couple of guys he can always count on. It's a short gun formation, 3.35 to play here in the first half, he takes the snap, hands it off to Eckler who goes up the middle, moves the pile toward the goal line, he got in, touchdown Chargers! He slams the football down and flags come flying in lakes, and the Chargers take a 3 point lead with 3.31 to play in the first half.

A 13 play, 70 yard, 7 minute and 3 second drive to get Austin Eckler into the end zone and put the Chargers in front, that's Tom McCarthy on Westwood 1. 7 minute and 3 second drive, certainly with an Austin Eckler talent, you know the Chargers have the ability to possess the ball like that, but we typically see that type of ball control from say, the Falcons, or the Bears, or the Commanders. It's not the type of ball control you generally see from the Chargers, but man at least on that possession, and there were a few others as well, where they kept the ball away from Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs successively for a long stretch.

It's not cold in LA, so you can't really talk about them getting cold, like if this was Arrowhead Stadium and these guys were freezing on the sidelines, but still, there's always the chance that Mahomes and the Chiefs are going to come back on the field and be out of rhythm. And as it turned out, they went 3 and out when they did get the ball back. Chargers were able to tack on another field goal and they take a 20-13 lead into the halftime locker room.

Oh, don't want to count your chickens of course, don't count your Chargers before they hatch, but only giving up a field goal in the third quarter, Chargers still hold the lead going into the fourth quarter. But, it's Travis Kelce, and he's a big dog and he's got to eat. 3rd and 4 takes the snap, stays in the pocket crossing pattern, caught at the 25-yard line, Kelce at the 20-15, sheds a tackle at the right sideline, 10, 5, touchdown! Kansas City, a 32-yard touchdown! So Travis Kelce, and he saved the best for last, has 6 catches, 115 yards, and 3 touchdowns. And I say this every time I watch these two guys play. He's a security blanket for Patrick Mahomes.

Even losing Tyreek Hill, who obviously stretched the field in a different way, Kelce can do anything. He can block, he can bum rush people, he can strong arm people, he can stiff arm people, he can hurdle people, he can stop and plant and turn on a dime. Similar to a power forward in basketball. It's the type of move that I was taught when I was learning how to play hoops. You plant your foot and you turn back to the ball, and here it comes.

In this case it's oblong and brown and leather, the pockmarks, actually basketball is kind of like that too. He can stop, he's a load, and yet he can stop short and turn and just simple moves like that, where he sits when he finds a hole in the defense. All of that is so impressive for a man of his size.

He's got such great body control and such great footwork. Again Mitch Holtus on Chiefs Radio, that gives Kansas City a 23-20 lead, but I was wondering, are we watching these Chargers grow up before our very eyes? Out of the gun, Eckler in the backfield, Herbert drops back to pass, throws toward the end zone, caught, touchdown Palmer! He threw it to the left and Palmer was wide open, it's a 6-yard touchdown pass, and the Chargers take the lead with 1.46 to play. Sometimes you have to hope the Chiefs make a mistake that you can capitalize on. In this case, Jerrick McKinnon has a fumble, and there were back-to-back fumbles on drives in the fourth quarter. So as the Chargers fumble away, their opportunity that's immediately following that second Travis Kelce TD, the refrain is familiar, oh here we go, these are the Chargers, except the Chiefs give it right back. And Jerrick McKinnon fumbles himself, which leads to another extended drive for the Chargers, almost, almost executed to perfection. 10 plays, 64 yards, 5 minutes off the clock. And yet, there's still enough time for Patrick Mahomes. In fact, if you consider 13 seconds and what they can do in 13 seconds, well then a minute and 46 feels like an eternity. More than enough time for 6 plays, a 16-yard Mahomes scramble, 75 yards, and once again, the big dude. Ball is snapped on the near hash.

Chiefs load up 3 to the left side. Uh-huh. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat.

Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth. That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat.

Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. That's it. This crossing pattern caught Kelsey 10-yard line, 5-yard line touchdown, Kansas City. Will Kelsey do it to the Chargers again on a crossing pattern? A touchdown, and now Travis Kelsey, a 17-yard touchdown reception to take the lead plus his 33rd 100-yard receiving game of his career, the most by a tight end in National Football League history. He's still playing pressure on the receivers with two deep safeties. Herbert's in trouble again. He will unload it down the middle. It's going to be deflected and intercepted, intercepted at the 42-yard line. Yes, Nick Bolton.

Why not, Nick Bolton? He's playing at an all-pro level, and the Kansas City Chiefs are going to do it again to the Chargers. Once again, Mitch Holtus with a big breath there at the end.

Mitch Holtus on Chiefs Radio. So yes, you get the offense, the third touchdown for Travis Kelsey, and then on a tipped ball. In fact, it may have been tipped around more than once.

Look twice, maybe three times before Nick Bolton is able to secure it. It's always been a big play defense for the Chiefs. You wouldn't necessarily look at them as a lockdown defense. You wouldn't necessarily look at them as one of the best defenses in the NFL, except they come up with big plays. They really do. They come up with ways to slam the door when they have to, and because of the experience, because of the number of guys who have been through the ringer, who have been with this team for an extended period of time, they understand what it takes to win.

Certainly the fans travel well, and that always helps. So yes, I'm thinking there for a second that the Chargers were growing up before our very eyes, but as it turns out, the Chiefs have an answer. An executed two-minute drill that is so vintage. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs. It's not just Mahomes.

It's Mahomes in this offense with those weapons. And as I was watching the end of the game thinking about it, and I say this to you all the time, these two are one of the best married couples in sports, old married couples. They can finish each other's sentences. So who are the current duos in sport?

Who are more talented, more productive, more in sync than Mahomes and Kelsey? Because what they do is incredible. It's next level. And so you can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page after hours with Amy Lawrence.

Coming up, you'll hear from this old married couple. They're so different too, which is kind of fun. And yet there's such an incredible respect there and a recognition, a knowledge and experience that doesn't necessarily require communication. And that's when you know, those are the kind of relationships outside of sports, but definitely in sport that you can recognize. And certainly the numbers bear it out and the wins, the wins also bear it out. This is the game that the NFL was looking for when it put together all these AFC West primetime games. Chargers are getting there. I like what I see from them.

It's still the Chiefs division to win. Thanks for hanging out with us. It's our first night of Thanksgiving week.

Boom! On Twitter, ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page. We're excited to connect with you over the course of this week as people out of their regular routines maybe haven't heard us for a while, but maybe you just need us to keep you company while you're going through the start of this holiday season. It's After Hours on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Music We're a hundred for the game and the Chiefs retake the lead. We knew we had a lot of time on the clock. We knew we had some time out, so we didn't rush. We just kind of went through the, went through what we do every single day at practice and everything like that. And we executed and I thought, I mean, obviously Travis, I mean, it's Travis, he makes the greatest tight end of all time.

He makes plays like that that win games. When I went in the huddle, everybody was just like, let's just do it. But there was no doubt that we were going to go down there and score.

There was no doubt that we were going to make it happen. We played a lot of football together now. I joke around, I'm getting old in this locker room now already. So we played a lot of football together, done a lot of reps. But he's just a competitor. I'll say it. I think that's the best talent that Travis has.

Not the size, the speed, the route running, is that he will compete to the very end and he's going to go down fighting. Hits, misses, and messes. He's going to talk football after hours with Amy Lawrence. Patrick Mahomes gushing about his tight end, calling him the best in history.

And I suppose the numbers are starting to bear that out. Most 100-yard receiving games by a tight end in the entire history of the league, which goes back over 100 years. Now 33 of those for Travis Kelce, 32 for Rob Gronkowski, 31 for Tony Gonzalez. He's going to talk for hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

All three of Mahomes' touchdown passes go to Kelce on this Sunday night. I'm an older dog, man. Throughout my years, I just learned from situations that I've been through on the football field, situations that I've, you know, seen on the football field. And I just keep accumulating all that data and just put it in. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone or online chat. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive and save 10 percent on your first month.

This is your operating system talking, not your computers or your phones, but your internal human operating system. I'm feeling a little overloaded. Here's how you can ease my stress. Close your eyes or softly gaze at something in front of you. Now inhale for four counts. Exhale for six. Keep repeating. Much better. Longer term, there's BetterHelp Online Therapy.

They'll match us with the licensed therapist we can connect with via video, phone or chat. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive and save 10 percent on our first month. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone or online chat.

Visit betterhelp.com slash positive and save 10 percent on your first month. This computer up here and hope that I can use it to my advantage when the time is needed, man. And that's that's kind of where I'm at with it at that. I'm telling you, got to catch that podcast. I feel like it would be great listening around Thanksgiving to the Kelsey brothers who both have these very bold, brash personalities, not to mention games to match and talking about that Thanksgiving table. It's going to be one heck of a Thanksgiving in the NFL, too. We'll get to that schedule coming up, but I will be here on Thanksgiving night looking forward to talking family, friends, fun, food, football, or maybe we have to put the food higher up on the chart. So one of the high school kids that I work with on Sunday mornings, he mentioned something about how all he cares about on Thanksgiving is food and football. He's still limited all the people, just the food.

I'm assuming he's not making it all himself. The people who make the food, the food, he said, no, it's all it's all food and football. All right, well, there's going to be some good football.

But this is a way to set us up for week number 11. Patrick Mahomes, 20 of 34, 329 yards. Mentioned the three touchdowns, the last one you heard with Mitch Holtus. But also we're seeing him with those heads up scrambles, which is so typical of him. He moves and he throws on the move, sometimes cross body. Sometimes he sees an opening and he goes, but he's always got his head up like a point guard. He gives you that confidence.

The more you're around him, the more you watch him do what he does. You know, you just you know, you have a shot. And so the Chiefs move to eight and two on the season and the Chargers take another hit against Kansas City. In fact, the Chargers fall back to 500. They've dropped back to back games, but have already lost both of their games against KC. And this is stunning because this is not what we were led to believe about the AFC West. But the Chiefs have a three game lead in this division, a three game lead through week 11. Of course, they just don't lose against AFC West opponents. And for the Chargers, they put their best foot forward. They're on the move, but they still come up short against this team.

Well, you should be frustrated. We just lost to a good team at home. We had a lead, weren't able to close it out. You know, that's an outstanding team that we played. And to not beat those guys, you know, it's disappointing because we felt like our, you know, our level was good enough to win. But we didn't finish plays in that fourth quarter to get it done.

But that group in there has got a lot of pride. You know, we've played two really tough ones in a row against two fantastic teams. And now we've got to get our rest and we've got to move on. We've got to go to Thanksgiving and we've got to get ready for the Cardinals. Every game in the NFL is tough, you know, and you put everything you have into it, especially that week of practice, that preparation.

And so you lay everything out there. And so I'm really proud of the way that everyone battled today. It didn't go our way, unfortunately. You know, we're going to ride with our offense, defense, special teams, and we're going to get better.

We're going to keep, you know, doing everything we can to practice in the film room, in the weight room. But it wasn't good enough today. He did get Keenan Allen back, though, and Keenan has five catches for 94 yards. There's a lot of pressure on Justin with the five sacks and ten other QB hits by the Chiefs defense. So again, it's a big play defense, not necessarily a stingy lockdown defense that would come up with the stats that would put it top five. In terms of goals, goals, in terms of points allowed or in terms of yards allowed, but it definitely is a defense that will make you pay. And that is going for the football.

That's the deal. They're going after the football. They're looking for takeaways. Some other big numbers, Isaiah Pacheco with 15 carries for 107 rushing yards. And any time the Chiefs get a player over 100 rushing yards, so sometimes they'll go over as a team. But to have one guy over 100 yards is not as common as you might think with this team. And so that's a big deal for them, the fact that they get a 100-yard rusher in this game, and still to be able to rally.

The more they do it, the more comfortable they are in that space. How many times have we seen the Chiefs take a late deficit and turn it into a dramatic rally and a win? There is no deficit too big, and they truly believe that, even when they're on the road. Though, of course, the idea at this point in the season, if you've got the best record in your division, best record in the conference, you're starting to think about having the bye and home field in the postseason, though there will be challengers. Coming up, we're going to head to L.A. We're going to talk about this from the Chargers' perspective. No moral victories in football. Not in the NFL.

Not against your nemesis. But what can the Chargers take away from this, and how close are they to being fully healthy? We'll ask. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast.

Man, you want to talk about heartbreak. Chargers played their tails off here today. Off the field, on the money, and after hours, it's time to talk football with Amy Lawrence. That is essentially the final call from Sunday Night Football on Chargers radio with Matt Smith.

I believe we saw the Chargers grow up a little bit before our eyes, but until they get the wins over the big bads, the Kansas City Chiefs, the division, and the balance of power remains the same. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We're excited to welcome Eric Smith, who's a senior writer covering the Chargers for their website. Chargers.com was at the game just a few hours ago.

And Eric, when you hear that final call from Matt, he says, talk about heartbreak. How accurate is that for the Chargers locker room after this game? Yeah, pretty accurate. Pretty accurate. That's a good word to describe it.

Frustrated would be another word for sure. And you kind of said it right there. The Chargers can hang with the Chiefs, no doubt. They play them close almost every time. They just can't seem to find a way to win consistently against KC. And no team really can in the AFC West, but the Chargers probably give them a fit more than any other team. But yeah, frustrating tonight. You had the lead early, you had the lead late, and just can't close it out.

Why is that, Eric? In your opinion, what's the major difference still between these two teams? First of all, you have to give credit to the Chiefs. They have a generational quarterback, a generational tight end. Drew Twinkle, the Chargers linebacker tonight, we know that's one of the best tandems in the league.

And you have to do all you can to stop it. The Chargers played their tails off, like you said. It's just a play here, a play there.

I mean, that's really it. The Chiefs split up the Chargers this year. The Chargers lost both games by a field goal each game. They're right there.

They're right there. They're not getting blown out. It's just a play here, a play there. And when you have Patrick Mahomes on the other side, you have to play perfect to win, it feels like. And like I said, the Chargers came up a couple plays short. What did the defense have to say about keeping track or losing Travis Kelce? He's a big man, Eric, and yet somehow he does this to all kinds of defenses. Yeah, no, he does.

He's phenomenal. Derwin James owned up to it. It was man-to-man. Derwin on Kelce, that's a matchup that both teams probably want, right? The Chargers want Derwin on Kelce, and the Chiefs will want to get Kelce the ball. Derwin just said that Kelce beat him on the route, and he said he kind of got picked a little bit.

He didn't say that. The Chiefs guy kind of got in his way, and by the time he tried to catch up, it was too late. And then Kelce was open, ran across the field and scored. But yeah, frustrating was a theme of the entire team, but especially on defense. They said when the offense gets the lead with a minute and 45 left and you go on the field, you expect to get off the field.

When you don't, you feel like you kind of let the other side down. And that's exactly how that felt. Eric Smith is with us from Los Angeles following this Chargers-Chiefs game, another one in the AFC West, where it's kind of astounding, actually, Eric. I heard one of the announcers that I was listening to say it, and of course it's true when you see it in black and white. But the fact that this AFC West was rebuilt in a way that was supposed to make it uber competitive, and the Chargers have been. They just haven't come up with the wins against Kansas City yet. But they're back to.500.

The Broncos and Raiders, they're not lost necessarily, but they're scuffling big time. And there once again are the Chiefs, now with a three-game lead. They're three games clear in the West. I'd say four, because they're up three games in the standings, but they have the head-to-head sweep over the Chargers. So they're simply up four games with, what do we have, seven to go? I mean, everyone pretty much knew in order to have a chance to win the West or at least stay in the race, but the Chargers had to win tonight, and now it seems all but inevitable that I think the Chiefs are going to win it for a seventh year in a row.

So that just keeps on happening. What are the positives for what you see with the offense, first of all, for the Chargers? You mentioned them having the lead early and late. What did they do well? Well, they got healthy, sort of. That's sort of funny to say, because having Keenan Allen and Mike Williams come back with such a big boost on the field, but also just emotionally, having their two leaders back.

And you could see it early. The Chargers put up points in the first half. They scored early. They played well. And then Mike Williams has that incredible sideline catch, re-aggravates his ankle, and he was out for the rest of the game.

So we'll kind of monitor that. Keenan was supposed to be on a pitch count. He kind of was early, and the mic goes out, so then Keenan had to kind of throw that out the window, and really wasn't on it for the rest of the game, because obviously we're short of body, so he has to play. I think the potential of this offense is still there. They just need to get everyone on the field, and that just hasn't happened.

The three-headed monster, per se, of Keenan, Mike, and then Josh Palmer, he had over 100 yards and two touchdowns tonight. When they're all on the field, the Chargers have weapons for sure, throwing Herbert and Austin Eckler. The offense can score, but they just have kind of battled injuries all year. The positive, I think, is the team continues to fight injuries that ravage the team from essentially week one.

I know they're.500, and I know it's frustrating right now, but I've set it on the record for weeks now. I think the Chargers still make the playoffs. They have seven games left. The schedule gets a little bit easier. They're getting healthier.

I think they go on a run and find a way to get in. Will it take a playoff spot for them to have the type of breakthrough that signifies, at least at some ways that they've reached some of their goals, or that they're seeing the fruit of their work and their labor to try to establish a new winning culture? Yeah, I think that's fair, given the expectations internally and externally going into the year. I think everyone expected the Chargers to compete with the Chiefs for the division, and it was going to go down to the wire. Obviously, we're in week 11, and that's not the case. Like I said, the Chargers are right there. With the Chiefs, they've been in other games. I think four of their five losses are by a touchdown or less. Rarely are they getting blown out. Like I said, they've kind of been rabid by injuries. But yeah, I think the playoffs is the goal.

Like I said, I still think they get in. It's just been a taxing season mentally, physically on this team. They've spent a lot. They've had to use a lot of players.

We'll just kind of see what they got left for the final seven games. Eric Smith is with us from L.A., covers the Chargers for their website, Chargers.com. It's after hours on CBS Sports Radio. I'm always amazed, and maybe it just sounds or looks different on TV, but the number of visiting fans who seem to crowd into SoFi. It's not like this is just a Chargers challenge. It's also a Rams challenge, too. What did it sound like to you in terms of the balance between the two fan bases? Yeah, I mean, there were some Chiefs fans there tonight.

You know, I know they always travel well. You know, I mean, that's just how it goes. I mean, if I if I was a Chiefs fan and I lived in Missouri or whatever and I could come out to L.A. for the weekend. I might do, you know, you think I say that like I say that I was born in Kansas City, so I'm aware of that.

Yeah, I mean, I mean, yeah. Fans want to travel, you know, like we were in San Francisco last week and there were a lot of Chargers fans there. I think it's just like, you know, fans just travel more now. And, you know, it was a good amount of Chiefs fans there. But, you know, it was plenty loud when the Chargers had the ball or, you know, had success, too. So, Eric, you talked about the schedule.

Just have about 60 seconds here. Moving forward, they've got the Cardinals and Raiders both on the road. And then actually they come back in mid-December with Dolphins and Titans, two teams that are also fighting for the playoffs.

Just a quick note about this next month. How critical for the Chargers? Very, very. You know, the two-game stretch they just played, Niners and Chiefs, is probably the toughest two-game stretch, you know, we've had in the season. And did we win any?

No. You know, we lost both games by a combined nine points. Like I said, five and five. But if we win the next two, which isn't going to be easy on the road, but possible, right, given the opponents and, you know, the Raiders, the Chargers have already beaten the Raiders once this year. If they can get to seven and five, that sets up a massive two-game stretch at home against two playoff contenders, two division leaders in the AFC, and then we'll kind of really know what the Chargers are made of. Yeah, it's going to be fascinating. We have a starting Sunday in Arizona that's probably got to be a win. Definitely is part of the building process, and Brandon Staley's got them on the right track.

They just need a couple of those confidence-building victories. You can find Eric on Twitter, at Eric underscore L underscore Smith, and he covers the team, the Chargers, for their website, Chargers dot com. Great to catch a couple minutes with you. Happy Thanksgiving, Eric. Thank you, Amy. Thanks for having me. Of course.

I am so excited that I get to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of our guests this week. Just now, for the first time, I'm seeing the sweater that Travis Kelce wore to his postgame press conference. That dude has got to style all his own.

I don't think it was the right colors to be an ugly Christmas sweater, but it might be something that my grandfather would have worn. If you want to find a photo and put it up on our show, Twitter one hour down coming up next, what got into the Cowboys? It's after hours, CBS Sports Radio. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat.

Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat.

Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat. Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month.