Chiefs at Patriots: Highlights, score and recap

On Thursday night at Foxborough, the New England Patriots lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. What did we learn from this Week 1 tilt?

As the dynastic New England Patriots took the field on Thursday against the Kansas City Chiefs, we are reminded that the previous 50 defending Super Bowl champions were a combined 34-15-1 in their first game the following season.

Make that 34-16-1. Andy Reid’s team rallied from a 17-7 second-quarter deficit and rolled to a surprising 42-27 victory. This was a New England team that racked up 219 total yards and 17 points on first four possessions.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs had 180 yards and 14 points at intermission. Kansas City wound up with 537 total yards at the end of four quarters. So this time around, it was the Pats who wound up squandering a double-digit lead.

Three Stars

1. Alex Smith

We suppose those 75 and 78-yard pass plays to Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt, respectively, were check downs? Seriously, Smith connected on 80 percent of his passes against the Patriots (28-of-35). It added up to 368 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in the team’s 15-point victory.

2. Kareem Hunt

The first time the 2017 third-round pick touched the football on Thursday night he put in on the ground. For the remainder of the evening, it was the Patriots’ defense that couldn’t get Hunt on the ground. He ran 17 times for 148 yards and one score. He also caught all five passes thrown his way, totaling 98 yards and two touchdowns in Kansas City’s stunning win.

3. Eric Berry

The star defender was playing a whale of a game against Tom Brady and the New England offense. He finished third on the team with seven tackles, shadowed Rob Gronkowski all evening and set the tone for the team. However, he suffered a reported Achilles injury late in the game and now his status going forward is unknown.

More fansided.com: Most underrated NFL player on each team

Odds

The Patriots opened the week as 8.5 favorites and at kickoff were favored by nine against the visiting Chiefs (thanks to our friends at SportsBook Review). The over/under for this game by Thursday night was 48 and that total was easily surpassed.

Next Week

The Kansas City Chiefs have a little extra time for their 2017 home opener. And head coach Andy Reid will be facing the team he coached from 1999-2012 in the Philadelphia Eagles. The New England Patriots head south to the site of their first Super Bowl victory in 2001 (XXXVI) as they face the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome.