Kansas City Chiefs kicker Matthew Wright. Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Watch: Chiefs' magic continues as game-winning FG 'doinks' off upright

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Dec 8, 2024 11:33 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs are the AFC West champions for the ninth consecutive year thanks to a 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night.

It was another win where some good luck and some Chiefs magic played as much of a role as anything else in the game.

Backup kicker Matthew Wright, who is with the Chiefs because their regular kicker, Harrison Butker, is currently injured, kicked the Chiefs to the win with a 31-yard field goal as time expired, but there was nothing easy or conventional about it.

Wright's kick hit off the inside of the upright and bounced through, giving the Chiefs their 12th win of the season and continuing to solidify their spot as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Have a look:

A DOINK FOR THE DIVISION! IT'S GOOD! @CHIEFS WIN! pic.twitter.com/RtsINqo05m
— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2024

The Chiefs have now won 15 consecutive one-score games. They simply do not lose these close games.

Along with getting the bounce off the upright, it is also important to point out how that game-winning drive started. The Chiefs were able to start that drive at the 40-yard line after Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker messed up his kickoff following a field goal, failing to get the ball into the landing zone.

Giving Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs a short field in a one-score game, especially when they only need a field goal to win the game, is not something you want to do. The Chargers learned that on Sunday night.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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