5 takeaways from Chargers’ win over Chiefs in Week 15

The Chargers gutted out a 16-13 win over the Chiefs to eliminate Kansas City from the postseason for the first time since 2014.

Here's what to take away from the game.

End of an era

Kansas City managed just 13 points on Sunday, the nadir of a season full of frustrations for the Chiefs' offense. Patrick Mahomes threw for only 189 yards before exiting late in the fourth quarter with a knee injury as he threw under pressure from Chargers defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand. That also meant that after four years of not beating the Chiefs at all, or at Arrowhead Stadium, Los Angeles was able to sweep the Chiefs and eliminate them from playoff contention because of wins elsewhere in the league by the Bills, Jaguars, and Texans.

Omarion Hampton builds momentum

Hampton finished the first half with only 8 yards on 6 carries, but he turned it up a notch in the second half to seal the win for the Chargers. The rookie had 9 carries in the second half for 53 yards, breaking off a 26-yard run at the end of the third quarter to set up Cameron Dicker's 49-yarder to take the lead. The rest of his runs were workman-like, earning gains of no more than 5, but his ability to churn for extra yardage allowed the Chargers to hold the ball for 19:18 of the second half.

Rookie weapons step up

In addition to Hampton, the Chargers received key contributions from their other three offensive skill-position draft picks. Tight end Oronde Gadsden II, a fifth-rounder, led the team in receiving with 61 yards, all of which came in the second half. A 27-yard reception in traffic set up a 23-yarder from Dicker to tie the game at 13. Second-rounder Tre' Harris was the team's second-leading receiver thanks to a 37-yard reception in the second quarter that set up LA's only touchdown of the game. That score went to fifth-rounder KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who hauled in a 16-yard strike over the middle for his second catch of the year.

Tuli Tuipulotu shines

What a season it's been for Tuipulotu, who had four quarterback hits and two sacks on Sunday to bring him to 12 takedowns on the year, which would put him 5th in the NFL pending the rest of the week's action. Kansas City had to play most of the game with rookie undrafted free agent Esa Pole at left tackle and International Pathway Program player Chukwuebuka Godrick at right tackle due to injuries. However, it was still a continuation of Tuipulotu's extended breakout to see him take over a game the way he did on Sunday. Odafe Oweh joined him with two sacks of his own, with the fifth going to Khalil Mack.

Run defense stands tall

Kansas City managed only 49 yards on the ground on Sunday, the third time this season that the Chargers have held their opponent under 50 yards rushing. After allowing an average of 5.8 yards per carry to the Chiefs in Week 1 in Brazil, Los Angeles locked down this week, holding Isiah Pacheco under 2 yards per rush and limiting Mahomes to only two scrambles for 15 yards. Running backs took 19 carries for 34 yards for Kansas City on Sunday with a long of only 7 yards, which forced the Chiefs into long third-down situations all day.

This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers vs. Chiefs: 5 takeaways from LA’s 16-13 win in Week 15