The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 17-10 on Sunday to improve to 4-0 on the season.

And… once morethe Chiefs find a way.

If I were to give you the game script ahead of time (no NFL commercial-inspired jokes here please) and tell you that the Chiefs would lose wide receiver Rashee Rice 10 minutes into the game – having already had both Hollywood Brown and Isiah lost Pacheco – how would you predict their game against the Chargers would have gone?

I don’t think many of us (myself included) would have predicted a touchdown win.

But that’s what happened on Sunday.

Instead of the players embracing the utter dejection we typically see when teams lose a key player to a cart-moving injury, the Chiefs sat down and kept Suunday’s job at the top of their minds.

They couldn’t win with a brilliant attack. They would have to win with excellent defensive play, while using what they had in attack. That’s exactly what they did.

If there were three game balls to be delivered, it would be Steve Spagnuolo, Chris Jones and Matt Araiza.

Los Angeles’ first two drives seemed to show us that it would have no trouble making the offense work without its starting tackles and quarterback Justin Herbert playing through a high ankle sprain. Those Chargers drives ended with seven and three points, respectively.

The way it played out, these would be the last points Los Angeles would score all afternoon. Led by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs defense continually pressured Herbert into discomfort. They stopped the run and covered well — and when Kansas City needed a star to step up and close the door, defensive tackle Chris Jones rose to the occasion.

Jones’ two sacks (and key pressure) couldn’t have been more timely; his first sack put the Chargers out of field goal range midway through the second quarter. His critical pressure on fourth-and-1 came when LA had the ball at the Kansas City 3 early in the fourth quarter. His final sack ended the Chargers’ last-ditch effort late in the game.

When Kansas City needed him more than ever, Matt Araiza turned the field every time, keeping the team in the game while knowing it didn’t have all the firepower.

If that’s what the Chiefs want three-peatthey will earn it during this middle of the year.

Somehow, the Chiefs enter Week 5 with a 4-0 record. Early signs indicate Rice will miss time, which only adds to the already existing adversity that comes with injuries for Brown and Pacheco.

General manager Brett Veach will no doubt be back at work on Sunday evening, looking for answers to the obvious questions now looming over the team.

During this mid-year period, it’s not about winning every week; it’s about managing the schedule to the time of year when the team has proven to be at its best.

If Kansas City can get through this stretch, Brown, Pacheco (and Charles Omenihu) will feel like they’re being added as free agents mid-year. The road ahead is tough, but if Sunday is any indication, these Chiefs won’t go down without a fight.