Chiefs savor a 22-6 win but stew over short-yardage failures as the Seahawks and Broncos loom

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs spent a good chunk of their week off working on short-yardage situations, which they had been relatively good at this season, given how mightily they struggled in converting those same situations last season.

That's why they were so frustrated with their otherwise sublime 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Had the Chiefs scored after facing first-and-goal at the Chargers 2, or when they had first-and-goal at the Chargers 6, or on the drive that ended when Mahomes was brought down shy of the first-down marker on third-and-2, or not missed a field goal after he threw an incomplete pass on third-and-1 — well, the winning margin would have been a whole lot more comfortable.

“Yeah, I think it’s just you’ve got to — whenever stuff’s not pretty — you’ve got to be able to just push it and get the first down. I think that’s the biggest thing, and it’s not always going to be pretty,” Mahomes said. “We have the short-yardage where we score a long touchdown, and then we have the short-yardage where we didn’t get there with the push and stuff like that, and so we’ll continue to work on it. I mean, guys take pride in that. They take pride in the entire run game.”

To be clear: The run game was pretty darn good again.

Kenneth Walker ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns, pushing his league-leading total to 665 yards through five games. On the first TD run, he slipped through a hole on third-and-1 and ran 33 yards to the end zone. On the other, Walker bounced off a tackle, picked up a block from Mahomes, and got into the end zone from 2 yards out to make it 16-3 in the second quarter.

But there also was room to be better. When faced with first-and-goal at the Chargers 8, the Chiefs gave the ball to Walker four times in a row, the last of them gaining nothing from the goal line and resulting in a turnover on downs.

“I feel like we're going to get better,” Walker said. “We have a lot of stuff we have to execute and get better and more detailed at.”

That's a sobering thought for the rest of the league, given Kansas City is one of the three remaining unbeaten teams.

There is also something of an urgency to the improvement. The Chiefs are heading into a tough, two-game road swing through Seattle and Denver, and they have back-to-back road games against the Bills and Rams a couple of weeks later.

“We spent time on the short-yardage (during the bye), and we didn’t do very good on it. So, we’ve got to figure that out,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "You’re down in there for a couple more touchdowns, and in the goal-line situations, you’ve got to score on short yardage. You’ve got to pick the first down up. And then one of those, they got us. I mean, the play that we called — I called the play. So, I mean, the play I called wasn’t set up for that coverage, and we’ve got to do better there.”

The Chiefs sacked the Chargers' Justin Herbert four times, their first four sacks since Week 1 against Denver.

Special teams. Nikko Remigio fumbled away a punt return and nearly had another fumble, and Harrison Butker missed both a field goal try and an extra point. That continued what has been a season-long problem on special teams for Kansas City.

Xavier Worthy stepped up with fellow wide receiver Rashee Rice inactive with a hamstring strain and Tyquan Thornton now on injured reserve. He had game highs of seven catches for 73 yards, most of them early, when Kansas City was building its lead.

Defensive back Chris Roland-Wallace was ejected after throwing a punch, leaving the Chiefs' defensive backfield shorthanded.

RT Jaylon Moore sustained a concussion early in the game, forcing the Chiefs to mix up their offensive line. He was already starting with Josh Simmons still sidelined by a bulging disc in his back, leaving Josh Ezeudu to finish the game in his place.

100 — Mahomes picked up his 100th win, matching Tom Brady for the fewest starts to reach the mark in NFL history.

Walker returns to Seattle, where he was the Super Bowl MVP while winning a ring with the Seahawks last season, for a marquee Sunday night showdown. The Chiefs running back downplayed his return to The Emerald City, saying: “Right now, I’m just focused on critiquing the mistakes we made. Once we get to that point, we'll see."

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, left, talks with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during warmups before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid responds to a question during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, center left, and Kenneth Walker III (9) celebrate a touchdown scored on a rushing play by Walker III during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III (9) rushes for a touchdown as Los Angeles Chargers players give chase during the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III (9) takes the hand off from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Voters in Canada’s oil-rich Alberta province were deciding on Monday whether to begin a process that could lead to independence, testing national unity as Canadians rally against U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats to claim Canada as the 51st U.S. state.

Monday’s vote is not a direct referendum on independence. Alberta, home to most of Canada’s proven oil reserves — the fourth largest in the world — will decide whether to remain a province or begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation.

More than 1.35 million Albertans, or 43% of eligible voters, cast advance or special ballots ahead of Monday’s referendum, an unusually high level of early participation that underscores the intense interest in the province’s future. Polls close at 8 p.m. local time, with results expected in the hours afterward.

Alberta is Canada’s oil heartland and cowboy country, a conservative stronghold whose political culture has long had more in common with the American West than much of Canada. Resentment toward Ottawa runs deep, but has not traditionally translated into widespread support for independence.

But even if Albertans reject the proposal, separatist leaders say the movement has transformed a fringe cause into a force in provincial politics and is not going away.

Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Albertans to deliver a decisive vote for unity. “Vote like Canada’s future depends on it because it does,” he told a rally Friday in Edmonton, where he grew up.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who called the referendum despite opposing independence, cited a poll showing just 22% support for separation, a figure she said was still too high.

The vote also comes as Alberta reels from a deadly weekend fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright that killed four service members and injured 39 others, including 19 critically, during military training.

The biggest cheers at Carney’s rallies in Calgary and Edmonton came when he spoke about diversifying Canada’s trade away from the United States. The applause showed how Trump’s trade war and annexation threats have fueled Canadian nationalism even in traditionally conservative Alberta.

Liberal prime ministers have long faced resentment from Albertans over federal energy policies, but Carney has emerged as an unusually popular figure by backing policies more friendly to fossil fuels, such as a proposed oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast.

Joining Smith in a show of unity against independence, Carney warned that the referendum comes at the “worst possible time” and urged Albertans not to use their votes merely to send Ottawa a message.

By calling a referendum she opposes, Smith acknowledged pressure from separatist activists within her governing United Conservative Party who helped bring her to power. Some of those activists helped oust former Premier Jason Kenney in 2022.

Kenney said separatism had traditionally been a fringe cause, with independence parties typically attracting only 1% or 2% of the vote. He said the pandemic mobilized activists angry over public health restrictions and government authority.

Separatist leader Jeff Rath said federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates drove him toward independence, while Tanya Clemens, co-chair of Let Alberta Decide, said pandemic restrictions spurred political organizing. Keith Wilson, the group’s other co-chair, was a lead lawyer for the 2022 trucker convoy that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for weeks in a protest against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions.

Wilson argues that Alberta’s grievances go deeper. With much of Canada’s population concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, he said Liberal governments can win elections without significant support in Alberta, leaving the province vulnerable to federal policies opposed by its energy industry.

Wilson argues that Carney’s proposed Pacific Link pipeline illustrates the dysfunction, saying federal restrictions have discouraged private investment and could leave taxpayers financing the project.

At the same time, Wilson rejects Alberta becoming an American state.

“I have no interest in substituting a master that rules over my children’s future, who’s in Ottawa, with a new one who’s in Washington,” he said.

Other separatist leaders have sought contact with the Trump administration. Rath and fellow independence advocates met three times with U.S. State Department officials in Washington to discuss Alberta’s future.

Chief Sheldon Sunshine of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation condemned those meetings, calling them “absolutely treasonous to the people of Canada, people of Alberta.”

Sunshine said Alberta cannot leave Canada without First Nations’ consent, citing treaties that predate the province — and said his nation would remain part of Canada even if Albertans vote for independence.

Dustin Degenhardt, a Wainwright voter, said many Albertans remain angry over their treatment by Ottawa.

“Alberta has essentially been treated as, you know, a colony,” he said. “They want to take and take and take from us and not return anything.”

Wilson said separatists had already succeeded in generating unprecedented discussion about Alberta’s future.

“I think we’ve already hit success when you look at the voter turnout,” he said.

Rath said he would be thrilled if 30% of Albertans vote to begin the separation process. He wants Smith ousted as UCP leader and said the party could splinter, potentially creating a new pro-independence political party.

Taylor MacIsaac, a Wainwright voter who grew up in rural Alberta, supports separation.

“I think it’ll be good for Alberta to separate personally, as a very conservative individual that grew up in rural Alberta,” she said.

Some Albertans hope Monday’s vote ends the debate and heads off a prolonged independence struggle like Quebec’s.

Dave Malka, 59, of Edmonton, criticized spending money on a “referendum on a referendum” rather than healthcare.

With Trump threatening Canada, Malka said, “It seems to be happening at the absolute worst time when we should be united, instead we’re fighting among ourselves.”

Malka expects a decisive rejection but fears separatists won’t give up. “This is only the start of separation Armageddon, if you will. This is their starting point,” he said.

Jake Graham, 35, of Calgary, attended Carney’s rallies wearing maple leaf pants and a Canada hockey jacket. He hopes the vote ends the debate.

“I hope this squashes this for a long time to come and that it’s clear and decisive, that these grumblings disappear for a while and we can be a united Canada,” he said.

Associated Press Writer Ty ONeil contributed to this report from Wainwright, Alberta.

A supporter lowers his hat during a pro-Canada rally in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Sunday, Oct, 18, 2026. (Timon Johnson/The Canadian Press via AP)

A supporter holds up a sign during a pro-Canada rally in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Sunday, Oct, 18, 2026. (Timon Johnson/The Canadian Press via AP)

A supporter writes on a protest sign during a pro-Canada rally in Edmonton, Alberta, Sunday, Oct, 18, 2026. (Timon Johnson/The Canadian Press via AP)

A supporter carries a Canadian flag at a pro-Canada rally in Edmonton, Alberta, Sunday, Oct, 18, 2026. (Timon Johnson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, center, greets people at a Forever Canadian rally in Edmonton, on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Jeffrey Rath greets speakers during an Alberta independence rally at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton Alberta, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (Amanda May Erickson/The Canadian Press via AP)

An attendee waves the Alberta flag at the crowd during an Alberta independence rally at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton Alberta, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (Amanda May Erickson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Forever Canada leader Thomas Lukaszuk, left, gives a speech during a pro-Canada rally in Edmonton, Alberta, Sunday, Oct, 18, 2026. (Timon Johnson/The Canadian Press via AP)