CARSON, Calif. -- Before the first half was over on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs had three times as many interceptions as they had in their first two games combined.

Those three first-half picks off Philip Rivers told the story: Their big-play defense, the one that forced more turnovers than any other NFL team last season, is back.

The Chiefs also, after some anxious moments in the first half, played shutdown defense. Kansas City kept the Los Angeles Chargers scoreless in the second half.

That second-half shutout allowed the Chiefs to emerge with a 24-10 victory that was guaranteed only when rookie running back Kareem Hunt ran 69 yards for a touchdown with 1 minute, 49 seconds left in the game.

The Chiefs are 3-0 overall.

The Chiefs have now beaten the Chargers seven straight times. In that stretch, Rivers has thrown 10 interceptions with five touchdown passes.

The Chiefs jumped ahead 14-0 midway through the first period. Both drives started on the Chargers’ side of the 50, thanks to interceptions by Terrance Mitchell and Marcus Peters.

From there, the Chiefs had to battle for everything. They allowed the Chargers more than 200 yards in the first half but were more consistent, if not as spectacular, after that.

It’s a good thing because by then the Chiefs had gone largely stagnant on offense until Hunt's touchdown run.

"It was messy in between but I thought down the stretch in the fourth quarter, both lines ... stepped up and did a nice job,'' coach Andy Reid said.

The Chiefs are playing without one of their top defensive players, injured safety Eric Berry. They’re also without starting cornerback Steven Nelson.

But they still have enough pieces to be among the NFL's leaders in takeaways. The Chiefs sacked Rivers twice on Sunday and had nine in the season's first two games. Peters led the NFL in interceptions with eight as a rookie in 2015.

Mitchell, who is starting in place of Nelson, had two interceptions, his first with the Chiefs. He had one for the Cowboys in 2015.

"When you’re playing opposite an All-Pro corner, you’re going to get tested,'' Reid said. "He stepped up and I thought did a nice job there.''