Chiefs Win Opener: No Need for Sneed When You Ride with Clyde

Chiefs Win Opener: No Need for Sneed When You Ride with Clyde – by Michael Travis Rose – I can’t lie, the brief time immediately preceding the game was sorta uncanny to me. Viewing the spattering of the fans spread sparsely through the Arrowhead Stadium stands, intermingled with the fake fans — in this case, cutouts — had me momentarily wondering whether I was a Chargers fan, or a Chiefs fan.

However, the moment that our own Harrison Butker kicked off, I quickly remembered that I’m a proud citizen of Chiefs Kingdom and, at long last, I was back home. Not only was football back, but Chiefs football was back! So, scratch that. Defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs (I’ll never tire of typing, saying, or hearing that!) had debuted and I, along with an equally football-deprived pandemic-weary Chiefs Kingdom, rejoiced securely planted in front of the television, with my favorite beverage and vittles required for such an eagerly anticipated and auspicious occasion.

View From The Cheap Seats

The game started out well enough. The Chiefs defense forced a three-and-out on Texans first drive. Once in possession of the ball, the Chiefs offense looked like those fellas we so fondly remember from the pre-COVID NFL era. Mahomes was Mahomes, Clyde Edwards-Helaire got a taste of life in the NFL with a quick three-yard burst. MVPatrick, being the sharing quarterback he is, shared the ball with Darrell Williams, Mecole Hardman, and Travis Kelce, respectively. However, a seemingly sure touchdown to Demarcus Robinson was called back, then a sack, and so the Chiefs had to punt. The rust from an almost seven month hiatus from the gridiron was starting to show.

That rust must have been catching, because the defense caught it, too. Houston QB, Deshaun Watson, drove his Texans 80 yards down the field in nine plays for eighty yards and ate five minutes off the clock. End result? Texans – 7, Chiefs – 0.

Editor’s Note: the last TD scored at the end of the first 100 years of the NFL, was scored by a running back running the ball (Damien Williams in the Super Bowl) and the first TD in the second 100 years was scored by a RB (David Johnson, last night). So, the game of football may have evolved into a passing dominated game, but the running game is not dead after all. –Laddie Morse

When the Chiefs received the ball after the ensuing kickoff, the rust still showed on the next few plays, as our Red & Gold found themselves facing a fourth and one that fullback Anthony Sherman resolved with a two-yard bull doze. Then, just like that, as if it were raining WD-40, the rust was gone. Travis “Money In The Bank” Kelce, garnered a 15-yard reception from Mahomes, and that was it. Fittingly, Kelce was the recipient of the drive’s inevitable touchdown. The Chiefs were back. Correction, the defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs, were back.

After that, it was all Chiefs for the next two quarters. The offense used their new rookie RB, Clyde Edwards-Helaire — CEH — and Patrick Mahomes’ savvy and skills to march down the field, seemingly at will to enter the fourth quarter satisfied to protect a 24-7 lead.

Once in the driver’s seat, the Chiefs offense was what you’d expect from a Super Bowl-winning offense. They racked up 377 yards — 203 yards passing and 166 yards rushing — totaling four touchdowns to help cinch the NFL season’s first win. As it stands right now, the Chiefs are: first in offense and first in defense, in the NFL. Yep, the Chiefs defense held their own, holding the Texans to only three touchdowns for the game and allowing them only 25 minutes on the field. Chiefs 4th-round rookie, CB L’Jarius Sneed, snatched the only interception of the game and returned it for 39 yards.

I’d wager to say that 13 of the points scored by the Texans were garbage points. Gifted to them by a magnanimous Big Red in the fourth quarter. Coach Reid had completely taken his foot off the gas, happy to coast to his first victory of the 2020 season and secure in the knowledge that he could count on newly acquired Edwards-Helaire to help ensure the W and chew up the clock.

Stat of the Game

Patrick Mahomes is 8-0, has 26 passing touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in his NFL career in September.

Oh, his birthday? September 17th. Why do you ask?

Highlight of the Game

Tweet of the Game

Game Song

Each game recap I do this season, I’ll include a song that best personifies the game from a Chiefs fan’s point of view. I mean the song to be the perfect accompaniment for a highlight video (a not-so-subtle hint for any of you videophiles out there).

It might not be the 21st of September, but MVPat owns September, and by proxy, so do the Chiefs. With visions of last night’s victory still in your head, please take a moment and enjoy one of Earth, Wind, & Fire’s finest contributions to the world.

… And The Game Ball Goes To…

 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Fresh Prince of Helaire (the “H” is silent), gets the first game ball of the season. He was everything they touted him to be… and more. We may not have seen him catching the ball in th flat much in the game, like we anticipated, but give him time. Plus, with his 138 rushing, he’s on pace to rush for 2,208 yards. 🧐 Now, with 138 rookie yards under his belt, he only needs to average 80 yards per game in the last 15 games of this season to break Kareem Hunts rookie rushing record of 1,327 yards.

This young man promises to be a game-changer in this league and certainly for our Chiefs. When Mahomes throws it to him at some point this season, watchout world! The Prince will be unleashed.

How’d I Do?

In each of my game recaps this year, I’ll give my prediction for the next week’s game in the Looking Ahead section. Since this is our first game, I gave my prediction in an article I penned earlier in the week. I picked the Chiefs to win 42-10.

I’ll not be too hard on myself with this one. Obviously, I want to get the victor right at least, but I try to have both team’s final scores within 5 points of each other (under or over). I think I would have been on point in that regard had Coach Reid not channeled his inner-Schottenheimer and played Martyball for most of the second half after attaining a big lead. No matter, a win is a win, and the Chiefs are the only NFL team yet to lose a game in September of 2020. I’ll take it.

Looking Ahead

In just a week and some change, the Chiefs will head to Los Angeles to take on their AFC West Division rival Chargers. With no preseason, a new quarterback at the helm of the Bolts, and having not yet seen them play this year, you’d think it’d be difficult to make a prediction. Right?

Nope. They’re still the Chargers. The only difference is, we no longer have Philip Rivers throwing to a Chiefs DB once or twice a game. The Chiefs, well rested and less rusted, take the hapless Chargers on their home turf, 54-12.

Parting Shot

For the first time in almost eight months, I forgot about COVID-19, politics, racial unrest, and social injustices. For almost four hours, my refuge was safe in this haven we call Chiefs Kingdom. I loved every minute of it! America and I thank you. Oh yes, we needed that.

Michael Travis Rose — ArrowheadOne

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