What to watch in Chiefs’ opener at Jags: Reid’s record in openers ... and a hurricane

For starters, the Chiefs are solid.

That is, opening games have been a team strength. The Chiefs are seeking their fifth straight victory to debut a NFL season on Sunday at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Overall, Andy Reid teams in Kansas City are 5-1 in regular-season openers, starting with his 2013 victory at Jacksonville.

A Reid-coached Chiefs team hasn’t lost a road opener. And the last three opening game victories away from Arrowhead have come against teams that went to the playoffs: Houston in 2015, New England in 2017 and the Los Angeles Chargers last season.

Maybe this is filed in the Reid-with-additional-time-to-prepare folder. His teams in Philadelphia and Kansas City are 17-3 the week after byes in the regular season.

But there is another factor at work here. The Chiefs under Reid have been good, in openers and at mid and late season. The only year the Chiefs didn’t win an opener under Reid, a 2014 home loss to the Titans, they finished 9-7. That’s Reid’s worst record in Kansas City and the only year his team didn’t make the playoffs.

And this could be Reid’s best team. Expectations are soaring for the team that fell in overtime in the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium. Not that Reid is paying attention, he says.

“That’s all kind of outside buzz,” Reid said. “Inside you get to work. I don’t worry about it. I don’t think much about it. There’s a very small margin between winning and losing in the National Football League. You have go get yourself right every week.”

Another potential major story line for Sunday’s game: The weather. Hurricane Dorian is bearing down on Florida and the Jaguars have canceled Wednesday’s practice.

If the hurricane maintains its current track as of Monday afternoon, the storm will be roughly 40 miles offshore from Jacksonville on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Parts of Jacksonville are under mandatory evacuation orders.

The concern is a westward track of the storm, which will make things worse for the city and area. If all goes well, the Jaguars will resume practice on Thursday.

The details

Kickoff: Noon Sunday in Jacksonville, Florida

TV/radio: CBS (Ch. 5), 101.1 FM

Favorite: Chiefs by 4