Final Score: Chiefs fall to Lions 21-20 to open the season.

The Kansas City Chiefs opened their Super Bowl LVII championship defense on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium against the Detroit Lions on “Thursday Night Football” while missing two superstars: defensive tackle Chris Jones — still holding out for a contract extension — and tight end Travis Kelce, who was kept out of the lineup after hyper-extending his knee during practice on Thursday. Even so, before kickoff, NBC announcers said that nationwide, two-thirds of NFL fans believed the Chiefs would win the game. But in the end, Kansas City turned in a 21-20 loss.

First quarter

The Chiefs won the opening coin toss, and customarily chose to defer. The Chiefs began their repeat championship bid with Harrison Butker’s kick sailing into the end zone, bringing quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions’ offense out to their own 25-yard line.

On first down, running back David Montgomery carried to the 32-yard line for seven yards. Under heavy pressure from George Karlaftis, Goff threw the ball to the ground on second down. On third down, Goff was incomplete deep to wide receiver Josh Reynolds — and a Chiefs defense down it’s best player started the season with a three-and-out.

Former Chief Jack Fox punted 61 yards to the Chiefs’ 10-yard line. Richie James fielded the punt, returning to the Chiefs’ 13-yard line to start Kansas City’s first offensive drive.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire carried on first and second downs, totaling eight yards. On third-and-2, Mahomes found Jerick McKinnon on the run for 10 yards, setting up a new set of downs. Kelce’s replacement, Noah Gray, then caught a pass on first down for five yards, before Mahomes threw the ball away on second down, setting up third-and-5. Mahomes attempted to scramble for the first down, but was tackled three yards short of the line to gain.

Receiver Kalif Raymond fair caught a 53-yard punt by Tommy Townsend at the Detroit 9-yard line to begin the second Lions drive.

Montgomery was not as effective on first down this time, only gaining three yards. Goff’s second down pass was batted down by Mike Danna. Narrowly avoiding a safety, Goff found Marvin Jones on third down, but fell two yards short of the first down, seeming to set up a second three-and-out. The Lions gained the remaining two yards on a fake punt, however, continuing the drive. Two plays later, Goff found star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 13-yard gain to the Lions 34-yard line. A play later, a 21-yard pass to Reynolds took Detroit inside Chiefs territory to the 45-yard line. Runs by Montgomery and then rookie Jamyr Gibbs then combined for 21 yards, bringing the Lions to the 24-yard line. A 5-yard catch by St. Brown crossed into the red zone, before Montgomery carried to the 13-yard line and a new set of downs. After a pair of short runs set up third-and-6 from the Chiefs’ 9-yard line, Goff found St. Brown for the league’s first touchdown of the season. Riley Patterson’s extra point put Detroit on top 7-0 with 2:45 remaining in the first quarter.

James fair caught the kickoff in the end zone, beginning the drive at the 25-yard line. A two yard Isiah Pacheco carry and an incomplete pass to Gray quickly set up third-and-8. Mahomes then found Justin Watson for a 19-yard completion to the 46-yard line, before a sweep by receiver Skyy Moore set up second-and-6 from midfield. After Pacheco carried for no gain, Mahomes scrambled for the six yards to gain a first down as the first quarter closed.

Second quarter

With first-and-10 from the Detroit 44-yard line, Pacheco caught a five-yard pass. On second down, Mahomes decided to test the Detroit secondary with a dart to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the 25-yard line. After an incompletion to rookie Rashee Rice, Mahomes found a hole and rushed 16 yards to the Lions’ 9-yard line to set up first-and-goal. Pacheco then carried to the 2-yard line. A trick play on second down ended up in the arms of receiver Kadarius Toney, but could only gain a yard, setting up third-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Mahomes’ second target to Rice, however, put a Chiefs touchdown on the board. Butker was true on the extra point, tying the score at 7-7.

Butker’s second kickoff landing in the end zone, again setting up Detroit at its own 25-yard line. After a play clock induced Lions’ timeout, Goff threw to tight end Brock Wright for nine yards, and Goff scrambled forward on second down to move the chains. Two plays later, a heavily pressured Goff was complete deep to St. Brown for 21 yards to the Chiefs’ 40-yard line. Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta’s first career reception then went to the 27-yard line. Two plays later, Gibbs took a pass into the red zone to the Chiefs’ 17-yard line. Fortune appeared to shine on a laboring Chiefs’ defense on the next snap, as Goff fumbled the snap and lost 11 yards. Gibbs gained ten of the lost yards back on the next play, setting up third-and-10 from the 17-yard line. A second good fortune in three plays saw cornerback Trent McDuffie knock the ball loose from Marvin Jones — and safety Bryan Cook fell on the fumble, putting the Chiefs’ offense back on the field at their own 7-yard line with 5:14 remaining in the first half.

Edwards-Helaire started the drive with a two-yard carry. Mahomes then looked to take off again, but slid after three yards, setting up third-and-5. The Chiefs took a time out with 4:00 remaining in the second quarter to set up the crucial play.

Mahomes could not find Gray under heavy pressure from Aiden Hutchinson. Raymond fair caught a 47-yard Townsend punt to put their offense back on the field.

Montgomery moved the pile five yards to start the possession. Goff could not connect with Jones a play later, setting up third-and-5 from the Lion’s 46-yard line. Danna broke through on third down to sack Goff for a three-yard loss to end the drive. After James fielded the punt and advanced to the Chiefs’ 18-yard line, Mahomes and the offense took the field with 2:02 remaining.

In the final play before the two-minute warning, Mahomes found Rice for a 25-yard catch and run, setting up first-and-10 from the Chiefs’ 43-yard line on the other side of the break.

Mahomes was incomplete very deep to James on first down. A two-yard catch by Rice set up a third-and-long — and a six-yard catch by Gray was two yards short. Detriot accepted a holding penalty, however, to force third-and-17 from the Chiefs’ 36-yard line. Kansas City took its second timeout with 1:07 remaining.

The extra time to consider the play turned fortuitous, as Mahomes connected with Valdes-Scantling for 34 yards to the Detroit 30-yard line. On the next play, he found Watson on the sideline at the Detroit 4 to set up first-and-goal. A play later, tight end Blake Bell caught a touchdown. After Butker’s extra point, the Chiefs took a 14-7 lead with 34 seconds remaining in the half.

A trend of kickoffs to the end zone continued, and Detroit returned to its own 25-yard line. Detroit tried their best to make something with the small opportunity, gaining 17 yards to the 42-yard line on three plays — before missing Reynolds on a pass that would have brought them to the edge of field goal range. Two more incomplete passes would end the half, however, with the Chiefs maintaining their 14-7 lead.

Third quarter

James let the second half kickoff sail over his head for another touchback. A short carry by — and then a ten-yard screen pass to — moved the chains to the 37-yard line. Pacheco then left the field with training staff. Two incomplete passes quickly brought up third-and-10. Gray could only manage two yards, and Townsend came on for the punt. A 54-yard punt would start Detroit’s first second half possession at their own 7-yard line.

Goff was incomplete short to Jones on first down. After offsetting penalties on second down, Goff could not move the chains with a third down pass to LaPorta. James would fair catch the ensuing punt to start the next Kansas City drive at their own 42-yard line.

Mahomes was incomplete to Toney to start the possession, and Edwards-Helaire carried for four yards on second down. On third-and-six, Mahomes’ pass bounced off of Toney — right into the arms of rookie safety Brian Branch, who returned the ball 50 yards for a defensive touchdown. Patterson’s extra point evened the score at 14-14.

In spite of Dave Toub’s reputation for having returners bring kickoffs out of the end zone, the drive started with another touchdown. Mahomes avoided a near-certain sack on first down to find Pacheco, returning to action quickly, for a seven yard gain. The second year player then moved the chains on second down. Mahomes was incomplete deep for Watson to start the second set of downs. After a six-yard pass to James, Mahomes threw a pass too high for Skyy Moore, setting up fourth down. Raymond fielded the punt and advanced to the Detroit 17-yard line to put the Lions back on offense with 8:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Gibbs gained six yards on first down, and Goff quickly found St. Brown for 18 more to bring the ball to the Detroit 41-yard line. A pass to LaPorta crossed into Chiefs’ territory to the 47. The drive stalled after Gibbs and St. Brown combined for the next seven yards, as a third down pass to Reynolds fell incomplete. Shockingly, the team who earlier converted a fake punt from inside their own 20-yard line punted from the opposition 40-yard line. Fox put the ball at the Chiefs’ 10-yard line, where Mahomes and the offense would take over in a tied game with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter.

Pacheco gained three yards on first down. Mahomes then scrambled to the 22-yard line for a new set of downs. Pacheco then took the first down pass nine yards, before converting on a short second down carry. Cornerback Cam Sutton committed an egregious pass interference penalty on Watson to move the ball to the Detroit 25-yard line. Bell caught a pass for eight yards, but the drive stalled after Mahomes could not connect with Moore or Toney on the next two downs. Butker came on for a 35-yard field goal to put the Chiefs in front 17-14 with 2:10 left in the quarter.

The game would still not see a returned kickoff as Detroit started another drive from their own 25. Goff was incomplete on first down. Only a tripping penalty could keep Nick Bolton from delivering a sack on second down. On second-and-22, however, Goff found Raymond for a 20-yard gain. The Chiefs were able to get off the field, however, as Goff’s third-and-2 pass fell incomplete. James returned Fox’s punt nine yards to set a Chiefs possession up at their own 32-yard line with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter.

Edwards-Helaire took a first down carry for four yards before Gray would do his best Kelce imitation with a 24-yard catch and run to the Lions 40-yard line. After an injury timeout following a noncontact injury to the rookie Lions cornerback Branch, the third quarter came to an end with the Chiefs driving in Detroit territory, hoping to add to a 17-14 lead.

Fourth quarter

The final 15 minutes started with a seven-yard throw to Edwards-Helaire, before the fourth year back fought to move the chains on second down. Mahomes scrambled for nine-yards on first down, bringing the ball to the Lions 20-yard line. For a second consecutive drive, the Chiefs were unable to convert short yardage deep in Lions territory. Butker would come on to nail a 39-yard field goal, extending Kansas City’s lead to 20-14.

Another touchdown, another touchback on the kickoff. On first down, Montgomery gained five yards. Gibbs followed that effort up with a two-yard loss to set up a third-and-7 that then became a third-and-12 after a delay of game penalty. Goff escaped a blitzing L’Jarius Sneed to complete a deep pass to Reynolds to the Detroit 41-yard line for 18 yards. A pass to Wright and two carries by Montgomery moved the possession into Chiefs territory, setting up a first down at the 47-yard line. Reynolds then broke free and took a 33-yard pass to the Chiefs 14. Montgomery then bulldozed for six yards, before breaking through for an eight-yard touchdown run. Patterson’s extra point put the Lions back in front at 21-20.

Mahomes would attempt to answer from his own 25 after another touchback. Justyn Ross would make his first career catch for six yards on first down before Pacheco would narrowly miss gaining a first down on the next play. A variation on the Blake Bell tight end sneak ended horrifically as a pitch back to Rice went nowhere. The Chiefs sent the ball back to Detroit with a 35-yard punt. The Lions would take the field at their own 34-yard line with 5:07 remaining in the game.

A false start on “everybody but the center” moved the start of the drive back five yards. The extra yardage did not matter as Gibbs burst through for 18 yards to the 47 yard line. Montgomery then gained eight yards on consecutive carries as precious seconds began to drain. On fourth-and-2, Goff stepped back to pass, and Justin Reid knocked the ball down in front of the quarterback. The Chiefs took possession at their own 45-yard line with 2:33 remaining in the game.

The Chiefs were unable to take advantage of a gift from Detroit. Toney dropped a surefire throw well into Detroit territory. Mahomes appeared to have finally connected with Moore for a big play, but a holding penalty negated it. Mahomes was incomplete to Moore and then deep to Watson on a fourth-and-25 after a false start penalty. Detroit took over at the two-minute warning at the Chiefs 30-yard line, though with Kansas City holding all three of their timeouts.

The Lions methodically gained a first down after three runs. The Chiefs used their final timeout with Detroit having a first down with 1:42 remaining. Goff began a series of kneels to close the game, sending the Chiefs to their first 0-1 start since 2014.

Injuries

Running back Isiah Pacheco left the field early in the third quarter after going to the field hard on a screen pass. He returned later in the quarter.

Special Teams

The Chiefs allowed the Lions to convert a fourth-and-2 with a fake punt at their own 17-yard line in their second drive of the game. The drive resulted in Detroit’s first score.

Punter Tommy Townsend pinned the Lions inside their own 10-yard line with a 54-yard punt in the third quarter.

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