Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 9/14

Game Recap: Kansas City Chiefs Defeat Houston Texans, 27-20, to Begin Season 1-0 from The Mothership

Quarterback Alex Smith was 22 for 33 with 3 touchdowns for 243 yards passing as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans, 27-20, to open the 2015 season at NRG Stadium in Houston.

On the Texans first offensive snap of the game, quarterback Brian Hoyer threw an interception to Chiefs rookie cornerback Marcus Peters.

The Chiefs took quick advantage of the short field position as Smith hit tight end Travis Kelce for a 10-yard touchdown reception, the team's first of the year. On the very next possession, Kelce caught a 42-yard pass for his second touchdown of the game and a 14-0 Kansas City lead.

Chiefs vs. Texans: 12 Observations from The Mothership

12. Chiefs don't have much time to celebrate

It's going to be a short week for the Chiefs, who host the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium for the nationally televised Thursday Night Football in just four days.

There were no serious injuries to report after the game, which is great news on a short week.

So while fans will probably enjoy this win for a few days, the coaches and players are already looking forward to next week.

Coach Andy Reid joked (maybe) during the postgame press conference that he'd be starting his preparation for the Broncos as soon as the press conference ended.

In any case, this is a great win and Arrowhead Stadium is going to be electric as the Broncos come to town for the only Chiefs home game during the first quarter of the season.

Again, there's something special going on with this team. They can all feel it and so will Chiefs Kingdom on Thursday night.

KCChiefs.com Videos: Chiefs vs. Texans: Game Highlights

Notebook: Chiefs' Andy Reid explains decision to not start Eric Fisher from Chiefs Digest

Fisher, who returns from a high-ankle sprain, put in a full practice the entire week and was set to start at right tackle.

The Chiefs, however, surprisingly listed him as questionable on Friday's injury report, and the reason for Fisher not starting was revealed after the game.

"I was watching the (practice) tape on Thursday and it wasn't right," Reid told reporters of Fisher's ankle injury during his postgame media session. "He was trying to push through it, but he was having a hard time getting his hips through and rolling over that so I said. ‘Hey listen we can't put him in a position like that.' So we went with Jah."

Smith's three touchdown passes lead Chiefs over Texans 27-20 from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City

Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs were so good before halftime that they didn't need to score after the break to beat the Houston Texans.

Smith threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as the Chiefs built a big lead and held on for a 27-20 victory over the mistake-prone Texans on Sunday.

Travis Kelce caught two touchdown passes in the first quarter, the first one coming after Kansas City intercepted Brian Hoyer's first pass as a Texan.

The Chiefs were up by 14 in the second quarter when Justin Houston sacked Hoyer, forcing a fumble. Kansas City recovered it and a 7-yard touchdown reception by Jamaal Charles pushed the lead to 27-6.

Chiefs dominate first half en route to 27-20 victory over Houston from Chiefs Digest

Coach Andy Reid said last week that he felt good about his 2015 Chiefs going into Sunday's game in Houston. Reid also admitted he wasn't quite sure what to expect from his club in the season opener against the Texans.

That's what having five new starters on the offensive line will do to a head coach's level of confidence.

If he was feeling good on Friday, then Reid was delighted on Sunday. Thanks to a dominating first-half performance, the Chiefs rolled to a 27-20 victory over Houston at NRG Stadium.

Chiefs waited a long time for passing game like this from ESPN

Smith threw for 193 yards in the first two quarters, the most he has had in a half since he joined the Chiefs in 2013. He finished 22-of-33 for 243 yards and three touchdowns. He had a QB rating of 118.6.

"It was nice to get off to a start like that," Smith said. "You never expect it. To come out firing like that was really nice. You can't anticipate that. We got the opportunities and took advantage."

That's the point. The Chiefs had their opportunities last year but were incapable of taking advantage.

Chiefs fire on all cylinders, sharing Week One highs in 27-20 win over Texans from Chiefs Digest

Kelce scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, marking the most productive game of his career. Kelce caught the touchdown after the Peters interception and hauled in a 42-yard reception on the subsequent drive. Kelce finished the day with six catches for 106 yards receiving and two touchdowns on six targets.

Kansas City's entire defensive unit tore apart Hoyer and the rest of the Texans offensive line. Defensive end Allen Bailey recorded two sacks., while outside linebacker Justin Houston, nose tackle Jaye Howard and linebacker Derrick Johnson each recorded one sack. This game marked the seventh straight contest where Houston recorded at least one sack. Houston also forced a fumble, which Bailey recovered.

ESPN Radio: Jamaal Charles interview

Packers' James Jones, Chiefs' Alex Smith, Jets' Brandon Marshall dominate in season openers from ESPN

CHIEFS 27, TEXANS 20

Alex Smith. The Chiefs signed Jeremy Maclin and rebuilt their offensive line but needed quarterback Alex Smith to step up his game if they were going to have an energized passing game. Smith responded in a big way against the Houston Texans. He threw three touchdown passes in the first half as the Chiefs jumped out to a big lead and finished 22-of-33 for 243 yards. -- Adam Teicher

J.J. Watt. Though the Texans didn't get the win, this was another multi-sack game for J.J. Watt. He finished the game with nine tackles, six for losses, including two sacks. That's Watt's 15th multi-sack game since 2012, the most any player has had in that span, and the Texans are 10-5 in those games. -- Tania Ganguli

The real problem with Eric Fisher not starting for the Chiefs from KC Star

It was a potential powder keg of a problem — another team's castoff starting against J.J. Watt — amid multiple reports by media outlets including The Star that had Eric Fisher asking out of the starting lineup because of a high ankle sprain. The Star's report cited multiple sources saying the Chiefs were upset at Fisher's decision.

Again, a potential powder keg. Instead, Jah Reid could stand up and joke about it.

"The guys kept reminding me who I was going against," he said. "They thought it was pretty funny. He made some plays, but he didn't seem to make enough to stop us."

It's a good line, and for now keeps the issue with Fisher squashed in the background. But the Chiefs do have an issue here.

Chiefs' Eric Berry returns, says ‘football sore is better than chemo sore' from The Washington Post

Only six months ago, Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkins' lymphoma. He missed the rest of the season as he underwent successful treatment and it was an emotional moment when he returned to the field during preseason games. Imagine how he'll feel during the Chiefs' season opener.

Just being out there is a big deal for Berry, who told the Kansas City Star's Blair Kerkhoff, "football sore is way better than chemo sore."

Alex Smith Continues Strange Streak for Kansas City Chiefs from The New York Times

Considering the Chiefs had a 27-9 lead when they went into the locker room, morale is likely high in Kansas City regardless of who is scoring the touchdowns.

Best of NFL: Mariota shines in NFL debut; Rams shock Seahawks from CSN Philly

Alex Smith threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as the Kansas City Chiefs built a big lead and held on for a 27-20 victory over the mistake-prone Houston Texans on Sunday.

Travis Kelce caught two touchdown passes in the first quarter, the first one coming after Kansas City intercepted Brian Hoyer on his first throw as a Texan.

The Chiefs were up by 14 in the second quarter when Justin Houston sacked Hoyer, forcing a fumble. Kansas City recovered it and a 7-yard touchdown reception by Jamaal Charles pushed the lead to 27-6.

Hoyer struggled in his debut before Ryan Mallett took over with about six minutes left and led Houston on two scoring drives to cut the lead to a touchdown (see full recap).

The Best of Week 1 in the N.F.L. from The New York Times

J. J. Watt had two sacks and nine tackles, including six for losses, for the Houston Texans in their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. On the first sack, midway through the second quarter, Jah Reid knocked Watt's helmet off while trying to slow him. Watt got to Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith anyway, taking him down for a 9-yard loss.

Incredible photo of JJ Watt sacking a quarterback without a helmet from Business Insider

Watt then got up and saluted the crowd.

Texans' defense looks inward after setback from The Houston Chronicle

Running away from and leaping over defensive backs and linebackers, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce stayed more than a few steps ahead of the Texans' defense Sunday.

Kelce dominated the Texans so thoroughly during the Chiefs' 27-20 win at NRG Stadium he wondered afterward how he managed to deliver such a performance against a stout defense.

"I'm going to have to look at the film and see how I got so wide open on a couple of plays," Kelce said after catching six passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Tight end runs amok

The Texans are searching for similar answers about what happened as they struggled against Kelce and the Chiefs' version of the West Coast offense.

50 things we learned from Week 1 of the NFL season from USA Today

31. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith threw three touchdowns but none to a wide receiver. Smith's last TD to a receiver came on Dec. 8, 2013.

Sunday Shockers: Chiefs' Smith, Kelce combine for huge fantasy day; Mariota perfect; Lockett's big return and morefrom The Topeka Capital-Journal

The first Sunday of NFL football saw an array of shocking performances.

For the Chiefs, for instance, Alex Smith had a top-5 day at quarterback, conducting Kansas City's offense for 243 passing yards and three touchdowns, including 106 yards and two touchdowns for tight end Travis Kelce as he put on his best Rob Gronkowski impression. The performance was even more impressive when you consider Smith was being protected from Houston's star defensive end, J.J. Watt, by newcomer Jah Reid as starting right tackle Eric Fisher was out with an apparent ankle issue.

Kansas City's Brazilian Cairo Santos triumphs on debut in the NFL from Noticias do Dia [translated from the original Portuguese]

Away from home, the team defeated the Houston Texans by 27 to 20. The player of Brazil scored nine points with three conversions extra point and two field goals (he still lost another attempt).

Judge These Chiefs After Broncos Match from Warpaint Illustrated

Perfection in the preseason? Real.

This roster, warts and all? Real.

Real enough to leave Texans coach Bill O'Brien cursing himself, quarterback Brian Hoyer and the football gods, not necessarily in that order. Real enough to force Hoyer into two crushing giveaways, the first a pick by Chiefs rookie cornerback Marcus Peters barely four minutes into the contest that set up a Travis Kelce touchdown pass; the second a fumble forced by outside linebacker Justin Houston that set up another scoring throw, this one from Alex Smith to tailback Jamaal Charles, that pushed the score to 27-6.

Real enough to make it look easy for three quarters.

Almost too easy.

Chiefs need only the best parts of CB Marcus Peters against Broncos from ESPN

On his first NFL play, rookie cornerback Marcus Peters did what the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in the first round to do: intercept a pass. Later in the game, he did what rookies at his position typically do: give up a couple of touchdown passes.

The Chiefs are depending on him to do more of the former but grow up quickly and do a lot less of the latter in Thursday night's game against the Denver Broncos and quarterback Peyton Manning. Their chances of beating the Broncos for the first time since Manning joined in 2012 might depend on it.

CBS Sports Video: Broncos at Chiefs Preview

Big opportunity for Chiefs Thursday from KWCH

Arrowhead is going to be nuts, and the hype for this game will be as great as any we have seen in recent memory. It's early, but it's huge. If the Chiefs want to make this their year, they need to start with making this their division.

P.C. on the NFL: WashPost Scraps Indian Images for Redskins and Chiefs from NewsBusters

But when one would turn to the AFC predictions, a team that looks like the Minnesota Timberwolves is picked to win the AFC West. Without the red arrow in the mouth, no NFL fan would have a clue this is a Kansas City Chiefs reference.

A wolf in Chiefs' clothing from The Sedalia Democrat

For 26 years, Dan Meers has entertained and delighted audiences as KC Wolf, but there is nothing entertaining or delightful about bullying.

That was the message that Meers gave the students at Heber Hunt Elementary on Thursday afternoon as he spoke to the students at an all school assembly.

"I have such a tremendous platform to make an impact on these kids and their lives," Meers said after the assembly. "As KC Wolf I have their immediate attention, but the secret is to hold it and let them hear the message.

"The thing I always try to do is entertain, but walk away leaving the kids with a positive message," he added