The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs opened their season with a 21-20 defeat against Detroit Lions in the NFL season opener.
Key points:
- Kansas City Chiefs lost a season opener for the first time in nine years
- Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed 22 of 35 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown
- Reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes completed 21 of 39 passes for 226 yards, two touchdowns and an interception
Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw for 253 yards and a touchdown, while Amon-Ra St. Brown had six catches for 71 yards and a score as the Chiefs suffered a slew of self-inflicted wounds to lose their first season opener in nine years.
David Montgomery's score and Riley Patterson's point-after kick brought Detroit back from a 20-14 deficit created by Harrison Butker field goals of 35 and 39 yards late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter, respectively.
Goff completed 22 of 35 passes for the unfashionable Lions, who are a trendy pick to win the NFC Central and did nothing to slow down the hype with a solid performance.
Detroit made few mistakes, committing only four penalties and one turnover.
The Lions' defence came up big in the second half. Rookie Brian Branch's 50-yard interception return of a Patrick Mahomes pass that bounced off open receiver Kadarius Toney tied the game at 14-14 just over four minutes into the third quarter.
Detroit later stopped the Chiefs on their final two possessions after taking the lead.
Mahomes hit on 21 of 39 attempts for 226 yards with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns and one interception.
He also rushed for a team-high 45 yards but had a spate of passes dropped.
Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce was held out of the game with a bone bruise and some swelling in his knee, but should be OK to play in next week's trip to Jacksonville.
Getting a rare non-Thanksgiving national TV shot after a strong finish to last year nearly produced a play-off berth, Detroit initiated the scoring on Goff's 9-yard touchdown pass to St. Brown with 2:46 left in the first quarter.
It capped a 14-play, 91-yard drive that lasted just over eight minutes, one that was sparked by a risky fake punt on fourth-and-2 from Detroit's own 17.
Predictably, Kansas City answered with a touchdown march of nearly six minutes. Mahomes connected with rookie Rashee Rice on a 1-yard laser that capped a 13-play drive with 11:50 to go in the second quarter.
The Chiefs then took a 14-7 lead with 34 seconds remaining in the half as Mahomes found backup tight end Blake Bell for a 4-yard score.
Mahomes converted a third-and-17 with a 34-yard strike to Marquez Valdes-Scantling to key the drive.
Reuters