The first game of the NFL season pitted the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots in New England. The defending Super Bowl Champion Patriots looked like they knew what they were doing right out of the box by marching right down the field on opening drive and doing what many teams in 2016 could not do… running it into the end zone.
What happened next, on the Chiefs first drive, will go down in K.C. football lore because RB Kareem Hunt who had never fumbled the football in college — over 800 carries — actually fumbled on the Chiefs first play on offense but more importantly, Hunt’s first play from scrimmage in a professional jersey. However, the Kansas City defense held Tom Brady on a fourth and short and took over the ball again.
As I suspected, Andy Reid likes to go right back to a player who has messed… on the very next play… and that’s exactly what happened when Kareem Hunt took the ball ran for a good gain. Hunt also turned it around by running for 47 yards on 7 carries in the first half for a 4.7 yards per carry average.
Tom Brady followed up his first TD with a FG and then got his Pats into the end zone again taking a 17-to-7 lead at one point. However, the good guys finally got a stop and then the offense drove the ball down the field for a 12 play-92 yard drive ending in a Kareem Hunt TD. Ahh… sweet revenge.
Halftime: 17-to-14 Pats
Although the Patriots lead at the half, the long drive by the Chiefs and the fact that they get the ball first at the beginning of the second half may have swung the momentum their way.
On the first drive of the second half, QB Alex Smith throws the ball 5 yards on a 3rd and 6th to stall the drive at midfield. It’s so tiresome to see the Chiefs do this same thing again and again. Why would Tyreek Hill run a 5-yard route when he knows they need 6 yards?
On the Patriots ensuing drive they stalled out setting up a 4th and 12. Tyreek Hill received the punt but fumbled then recovered the ball near the Chiefs 40 yard line. A personal foul on Daniel Sorenson and it pushed it back 15 yards.
On the very next play from scrimmage… Tyreek Hill could be seen running free down the field and Alex Smith jsut rared back and heaved it and the rest was up to Hill. Of course no one was going to catch him even if someone was covering him. It was a wonderful feeling to watch Tyreek Hill and Alex Smith connect long, especially when the Chiefs were able to take the lead 21-to-17 on this play.
Tom Brady and his offensive crew were able to drive as far as the 50-yard line and on 3-and-6 threw a pass to Danny Armendola while Justin Houston was dropping into a zone and he leveled him driving his back into the ground. Houston’s hard tackle created some Ooos-and-ahhs from the crowd as Armendola dropped the pass forcing the Pats to punt.
Alex Smith and the offense went three-and-out leaving this game in question.
On the Pats next set of touches, Tom Brady threw a long pass to Brandon Cooks in the end zone only to have the Chiefs CB Terrance Mitchell foul him and they set up shop at the 2-yard line, first and ten. Two plays later and RB Mike Gillislee rams it in over the left guard for a TD.
Pats, 24, Chiefs 21.
On the Chiefs ensuing drive, Travis Kelce is called for a personal foul and is one foul away from being disqualified. After a holding call and a sack, the Chiefs are heading the wrong direction. Colquitt punts from the end zone but his leg was run into so the punt was done again. This time Colquitt gets roughed again. Third time was the charm and this time Colquitt got it out to the 30ish.
The next play Brady goes long but a foul is called on the Chiefs which was denied by Belichick so Brandon Cook’s long reception was good.
On 2nd-and-goal from the 4, the Pats DJ sot the gap and RB James White lost 6 yards. Next Brady threw a TD but was a yard past the line-of-scrimmage so it was a five-yard penalty and fourth down. Stephen Gostkowski kicks a FG for 3.
Pats, 27, Chiefs, 21.
On the Chiefs next drive, Alex hit RB rookie supreme Kareem Hunt on a long pass which he took into the end zone.
The Chiefs defense held Tom Brady’s offense on 4th-and-one half yard to take over.
The Chiefs stalled out at midfield and tried to draw the Pats off-sides but it didn’t work. On the punt, Patrick Chung took a fair-catch on the 12 and Brady took over from there.
The Chiefs keep giving Tom Brady all day long to find a receiver and haven’t sacked him yet. After a first down out to the 30, Brady threw three straight incomplete passes to force a punt. Tyreek Hill caught the punt at his own 33 and returned it to the 40 where Alex and Crew take over.
With 8:33 left in the game Alex hands off to Hunt who stays in bounds and does the same on a pass in the flats. A couple of first downs later and the Chiefs set up at the 4, first and goal. With 5:19 to go Alex calls a time out.
Kareem Hunt sweeps to the right and dives and stretches the ball across the goal line. Touchdown Kansas City!
K.C 36, Pats 27.
Justin Houston recorded his first sack of the season… on the same play that Eric Berry goes down. Next, Brady throws long as he’s hit for an incompletion. On 3rd-and-17 Brady goes deep again but Terrance Mitchell strips the ball forcing a punt. DAT runs the ball back to the 40 but the Chiefs get another flag for and illegal block in the back and the Chiefs set up at the 21.
With 4:15 left, Alex hands off to Kareem Hunt who sweeps left and runs for 50 yards and is pushed out at the 21 of the Pats. Next Charcandrick West blots through the Pats D for a TOUCHDOWN KANSAS CITY!!! Cairo makes it good…
K.C. 42 and the Pats 27.
Next… Brady gets sacked at the one by Houston and almost ended up with a safety.
The punt makes it out to the Pats 43. Hunt keeps running the ball to run the clock out.
You know… sometimes the pundits are wrong… and I love that! What a perfect night.
Kareem Hunt set a record for yards from scrimmage… no one has ever had some many yards in their debut in the history of the NFL. Alex Smith was 28 of 35 for 368 yards and a 148.6 QB rating. While those stats are outstanding, the 15 penalties for 139 yards could have been what the Chiefs did to shoot themselves in the foot. While that might have happened in years past, this team doesn’t allow those hiccups to keep them from making every effort on the next play and working towards winning the game. This is only one game, but wow, what a game to win…. IN New England… IN FRONT OF a national audience. Now I guess the Pats will have to think about 15-and-1 as their team goal… instead of 16-and-0.
Sorry we ruined your perfect season. No I’m not.