Andy Reid’s offense finally looks in tune during Chiefs’ 27-20 season-opening win

So this is how Andy Reid’s vaunted West Coast offense is supposed to look when the quarterback is well-versed in the scheme and the cupboard is full at the skill positions.

There’s Jamaal Charles, hauling in swing passes in space and making magic with his feet. There’s Jeremy Maclin, making tough catches, forcing the Texans to account for his presence. There’s Travis Kelce, the receiving bully of the bench, trucking through defenders and running faster toward daylight than a 6-foot-5, 260-pound man should be able to.

And then there’s quarterback Alex Smith, repeatedly delivering the ball on time and in rhythm to more weapons than he’s ever been accustomed to in his 11-year career.

“He was on the money all day,” Kelce said. “Everything was in range. When he’s playing lights out and the offensive line is blocking like they were today, we’re a pretty solid football team.”

So yes, if the Chiefs’ performance during the first half of their season-opening 27-20 win over the Houston Texans is any indication — a game that wasn’t as close as it appears — teams are going to have trouble stopping Reid’s offense.

“I think we’re more balanced,” Smith said. “I think we’re really well-rounded. We have a lot of different ways to get you, a lot of weapons. I think you saw that early on.”

Because even with the baddest man on the planet, defensive end J.J. Watt, harassing their quarterback, and 350-plus-pound nose tackle Vince Wilfork clogging the running lanes, the Chiefs seized control of the game while jumping out to a 27-9 halftime lead at NRG Stadium.

“Mostly, I would say we were outcoached,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “Give the Chiefs credit.”

And let the record reflect it would not have been possible without the performance of a defense that, while solid a year ago, did not force enough turnovers.

After finishing 2014 with a mere 14 takeaways, tied for last in the league, on Sunday the Chiefs forced two, both of which led to scores.

On the first play from scrimmage, Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer was intercepted by rookie first-round pick cornerback Marcus Peters.

Two plays later, with the ball deep in Houston territory, Smith threw a rocket to Kelce over the middle for a touchdown, which was celebrated with an enthusiastic spike.

But Kelce, who finished with six catches for 106 yards, was not done. On the Chiefs’ next drive, after Reid softened the Texans up with four straight short passes, including three to Charles, Kelce was wide open and sprinted untouched 42 yards down the left side for a touchdown that gave the Chiefs a 14-0 first-quarter lead.

On the Texans’ next drive, DeAndre Hopkins high-pointed a fade over Peters for a 4-yard touchdown. But the Chiefs mounted three consecutive scoring drives, with the first two culminating in Cairo Santos field goals from 27 and 48 yards, and the last coming courtesy of the defense.

Outside linebacker Justin Houston, who was part of a pass rush that racked up five sacks, chased down Brian Hoyer from behind and knocked out the ball, which was recovered by Allen Bailey, who led the team with two sacks.

On the next play, Charles caught a short pass in the left flat that he turned into a 7-yard touchdown that put the Chiefs ahead 27-6 with five minutes left in the half.

The Texans added a field goal before halftime, but the star of the half was clearly Smith, who completed 15 of 20 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns.

“Alex has the keys around him,” said Charles, who rushed 16 times for 57 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards. “He’s got the wide receivers. He’s got the tight ends. They guy did an outstanding job today. We’ve got to continue to look out for him and step up.”

All that, despite the Chiefs’ inability to run the ball (37 yards in 14 first-half carries) behind a young offensive line featuring two players (center Mitch Morse and left guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif) making their first starts and the disruptive Watt in the midst of a day in which he finished with nine tackles (six for loss) and two sacks.

Things got a bit tougher for the Chiefs’ offense in the second half, as Smith only threw for 50 more yards when the Chiefs started running the ball more to churn time off the clock and the Texans started playing more man coverage.

“They tried to take away the cushion a little bit, that is why we had those opportunities down the field,” said Reid, whose team went zero for three on deep balls in the second half. “We’ll connect on those.”

But even with the deep game coming up short in the end, there was promise. Maclin — the free-agent signee who caught five passes for 52 yards on a team-high nine targets in his debut — hauled in a gorgeous 39-yard pass over a defender’s back that was eventually overturned.

“Hit him on those two deep balls, which he won on, and the second half wouldn’t have been very close,” said Smith, who overthrew Maclin on a deep pass later in the game.

Fortunately for the Chiefs, while their offense was being shut out over the last two quarters, their defense made enough big stops down the stretch to get the win.

A crucial fourth-and-1 stop at the Chiefs’ 11 midway through the third quarter stifled the momentum of the Texans, who did not threaten again until the fourth quarter, when they added a late touchdown and field goal.

But anyone who saw the Chiefs’ offense in the first half — and Denver, the Chiefs’ opponent on Thursday night, absolutely will — knows there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to scheming for Reid’s new and improved offense.

“Yeah,” Reid said with a nod, “that is the way it is supposed to look.”

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Andy Reid’s offense finally looks in tune during Chiefs’ 27-20 season-opening win."