Mauga, Chiefs on a roll

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to roll on the heels of their defense.

After stunning the Chargers two weeks ago, ex-Greenwave and Wolf Pack alum Josh Mauga and the Chiefs stifled the Rams, 34-7, on Sunday.

Mauga led his team in tackles again with five, including two for no gain, as he continues to be a main staple in an injury-saddled defense.

“I thought I played well overall,” Mauga said. “I didn’t feel I played very good in the first series but after making some corrections on the sideline, I was able to dial in on what they were doing and put myself in better situations to make plays.”

After surrendering a first-quarter touchdown, Kansas City shut down St. Louis, which upset Seattle two weeks ago, and sacked quarterback Austin Davis seven times. The Chiefs forced one turnover and held the Rams to only 200 total yards on offense.

“As a team, we played great in all phases,” Mauga said. “Special teams had a great day with returning and covering kicks as well as the offense and defense. As a defense, we gave up a touchdown in the first series but afterward, we were solid throughout the rest of the game.”

For Kansas City, the offense didn’t get going until the second quarter with Jamaal Charles powering through with two rushing touchdowns and Knile Davis returning a kickoff for a 99-yard score.

“I thought defensively after that first drive we came out and did a good job of putting pressure on their quarterback and at the same time taking care of their run game, which has been very good for them,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid told the team website on Monday. “I thought the game plan was good; I thought our third down percentages were good on defense.”

After losing their first two games of the season, Kansas City is back in the mix, winning four of its last five. The Chiefs (4-3) are a half game behind San Diego for second in the AFC West and two behind first-place Denver. There’s a four-way tie for the first wild card with the Chiefs a half game back.

The Chiefs will jump back into AFC competition this weekend when they host Mauga’s former team, the New York Jets. The Jets have lost seven in a row since defeating the current winless Raiders to open the season.