KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It wasn't the playoffs, but the Chiefs' season wasn't a waste.
The John Dorsey-Andy Reid program logged its second straight winning season -- the team's first back-to-back winning seasons since 2005-06 -- and establishing a winning culture again is meaningful.
The Chiefs accomplished a 9-7 record after topping the Chargers 19-7 on Sunday; those nine wins are more than most fans or observers forecast for this team, anyway.
"We ended the season on a high note and a victory," quarterback Chase Daniel said. "We definitely look at that as a plus."
FIRST DOWN
The Chase Daniel show was impressive at times, or maybe it was just that we're not used to seeing a Chiefs quarterback make decisive reads. Seriously, it was SO strange to see Daniel take a two- or three-step drop, make a read and unleash a throw, as opposed to Alex Smith dropping back, double-clutching and then taking a sack. Daniel also did a great job of throwing his receivers open -- meaning he let the ball go early before his receivers finished their cuts.
And Daniel would have had the team's first touchdown throw to a wide receiver all season had Dwayne Bowe not fumbled after catching a ball at the goal line (Travis Kelce recovered the fumble for a touchdown). Daniel finished the day 16 of 27 for 157 yards, and those numbers would have looked far better if not for several drops.
"I thought we started the game pretty well," Daniel said. "I loved our first 15 plays that we scripted. We scored on three of our first four drives."
Daniel, too, had some poor throws, especially in the second half.
"I'm my toughest critic on myself," he said. "I thought we weren't as efficient with our downs in the second half. And quite honestly, my play stunk in the second half. But like I said, what matters most is we won. We won against a great San Diego team and that's going to push us into next year."
SECOND DOWN
Linebacker Justin Houston came into the game needing two sacks to tie Derrick Thomas' franchise record for sacks (20 in 1990) and Houston not only tied it, but set a new record. Houston had four sacks, one of which was a strip sack that led to a fumble recovery and yet another Chiefs field goal. Houston, too, came within a half-sack of the NFL record for sacks in a season (22.5).
"(The sack record) hasn't hit me yet," Houston said. "I'm still disappointed we're not going to the playoffs. I think that hurt more than anything."
THIRD DOWN
Bowe seemed to start his offseason a bit early, as in prior to this game. Bowe dropped two perfect throws from Daniel, one of which would have resulted in about a 20-yard gain. Bowe also fumbled after catching another Daniel pass just as he was about to score the Chiefs' first touchdown by a wide receiver all season. Bowe also missed a couple of blocks on wide receiver screens. In general, D-Bowe seemed to be eyeing the offseason, perhaps knowing the Chiefs' playoff chances were mighty slim.
FOURTH DOWN
The Chiefs clearly have missed rookie cornerback Phillip Gaines (undisclosed illness this week), who had been making great strides in the second half of the season. The Chiefs have been stuck using a lot of Chris Owens as a replacement, along with Jamell Fleming, neither of whom should be playing regularly in the league. Owens, undersized at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, spent most of his career with the Falcons before spending last season with the Browns and Dolphins. Fleming is a third-year corner out of Oklahoma. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers targeted both all afternoon Sunday, and neither has any coverage instincts.
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.
