AP

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn became a short-list favorite for coach of the year after his team turned a 28-14 deficit with five minutes left to play into the eleventh win of the season and a realistic shot at the top seed in the AFC. He did it by making the bold-but-correct decision to go for two after scoring a touchdown with four seconds left on the clock.

Why did he do it?

“We did not come here to tie,” Lynn told reporters after the game. “We came here to win. To me, it was a no brainer.”

Indeed it was. Playing for overtime (assuming that the Chargers would have converted the 33-yard field goal to force the extra session, which is hardly a no-brainer kick) would have started with the inherently arbitrary coin toss, and the 50-50 possibility that the Chiefs would have the chance to take the ball right down the field and win it with a Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass. If the Chargers had won the toss, they would have had to move the ball — again — in a loud and hostile venue.

So why not just roll the dice and force the issue with a one-play, winner-take-all opportunity from the two? A key factor: How the coach feels about whatever play he’d dial up in that spot with the players that he put on the field.

“I felt good about the personnel we had,” Lynn said. “The guys we were going to. We did not have Keenan Allen, but we had Mike [Williams] on the field, Tyrell [Williams], Antonio [Gates]. They are more than capable guys.”

Ultimately, it was more about the mindset than anything else.

“We were going to go for two the whole time at the end of that game because I believe in those guys,” Lynn said. “[W]e did not come here to tie. I want to win the game and they wanted to win the game, so that is why we did it.”

Lynn was so determined to go for two that he gave no thought to kicking.

“I told [offensive coordinator] Ken [Whisenhunt] if we get the ball and score, get your two-point play ready,” Lynn said. “We are going for it.”

They went for it, they got it, and they have jolt the entire AFC with a riveting game, a memorable outcome, and a strong reminder that L.A.’s other team will be a very tough out in January.