Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles is a dynamic player and one of the toughest players to bring down in the open field when he gets going, but he has had some issues with ball security in recent years.
Heading into the 2015 season, Charles had fumbled 13 times during the three years that preceded it. And he coughed the football up at the worst possible time late in the fourth quarter of the team’s game against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, which ended up being the difference in the game.
The Chiefs were clinging to a 24-17 lead late in the fourth quarter, when Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning found Emmanuel Sanders for a 19-yard strike and the game-tying touchdown.
On the very next series, with the Chiefs starting from their own 20-yard line, Charles fumbled and Bradley Roby returned it 21 yards for the game-winning score with just 27 seconds remaining. The Broncos managed two touchdowns in nine seconds, and just like that, the tables were turned.
Charles was understandably frustrated afterward, so he slammed his helmet while seated on the bench. CBS announcer Jim Nantz then took a shot at him, and said, “At least he held onto the helmet.”
All in all, it was a tough loss for Chiefs players and fans to stomach.
