Chargers vs. Chiefs: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Regular Season

The Kansas City Chiefs did everything they could to reach the postseason Sunday. Unfortunately, the rest of the NFL didn't comply.     

The Chiefs defeated the San Diego Chargers 19-7 in Week 17, knocking their division rivals out of the playoffs. Led by Justin Houston (four sacks) and a swarming pass rush (seven sacks, eight tackles for loss), the Chiefs stifled Philip Rivers (20-of-34 for 291 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions) and the San Diego offense.

To reach the playoffs, however, the Chiefs needed to pair their victory with losses from Baltimore and Houston. Both the Ravens and Texans won their matchups, and Baltimore secured the AFC's final playoff berth.

It was an uncharacteristic performance from Rivers, who has a history of being clutch in these types of games, and one that made Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports question if he was less than 100 percent:

Regardless, Rivers was in pain after this game, even if it wasn't of the physical variety, as he told Michael Gehlken of UTSanDiego.com:

The Chargers did manage to bottle up Kansas City's running game, holding the Chiefs to 111 total rushing yards and just 54 yards from Jamaal Charles on 13 carries. But Kansas City protected the ball, played excellent defense and regularly won the field-position battle thanks to several excellent punt returns from De'Anthony Thomas.

The Chiefs started the game in rhythm, as quarterback Chase Daniel (16-of-27 for 157 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions) completed his first nine passes and led the team to an early field goal. That helped him reach a mark that hasn't been accomplished by a Kansas City quarterback in quite some time, per ESPN Stats & Info:

It appeared that the Chiefs finally ended a streak that plagued them all season when Daniel hit Dwayne Bowe for what was initially ruled as an 11-yard touchdown pass. It would have been the first receiving touchdown for a Kansas City wide receiver this season.

But it was ruled that Bowe had actually fumbled at the 1-yard line and that the fumble had been recovered by tight end Travis Kelce in the end zone. That gave the Chiefs a 10-0 lead on their rivals but left them with a pretty remarkable stat, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The Chargers quickly answered, however, marching 69 yards on six plays on the very next drive, capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Branden Oliver. The big play on the scoring drive came from Eddie Royal, however, who a play earlier snagged a 44-yard reception to set up the score.

Late in the second quarter, Thomas put the Chiefs in prime scoring position, as his 41-yard punt return set the Chiefs up at the 8-yard line. Kansas City couldn't punch it into the end zone, though, settling for a field goal and a 13-7 lead.

After forcing a San Diego punt after just four plays, Kansas City would again drive the ball into the red zone. And once again, it couldn't punch it in, settling for a field goal and a 16-7 lead.

San Diego's struggles continued in the second half. On the Chargers' first drive, Justin Houston registered his franchise-record 21st sack and forced a Rivers fumble on the play, giving the Chiefs the ball at San Diego's 17-yard line.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

It was Houston's 22nd sack of the season, leaving him 0.5 sacks short of Michael Strahan's NFL record.

But again, the offense struggled in the red zone, and Cairo Santos knocked home his fourth field goal of the afternoon to give the team a 19-7 lead.

Still, it was the sort of play that typified Houston's season and made it so incomprehensible that Kansas City hasn't locked him up to a long-term extension. As Louis Riddick of ESPN noted, Houston keeps adding dollars to that contract:

Neither team could get much going on offense in the second half, and the two sides traded missed field-goal attempts to open the fourth quarter. The Chargers had more success moving the ball in the fourth quarter, desperate to salvage their postseason dreams, but consecutive possessions with turnovers on downs inside of Kansas City's 25-yard line and a late interception sealed San Diego's fate.

And so these teams will move forward in slightly different moods. While both teams will be disappointed they couldn't reach the postseason, the Chargers will be devastated after controlling their own destiny and failing to capitalize on that fact. 

Each team will have major holes to fill if it hopes to return to the postseason next year—that much is certain. The Chargers need to improve the offensive line in front of Rivers. The Chiefs need help at wideout. Both teams now begin the process of improving for the 2015 season.