Chiefs notebook: Cairo Santos trips Jets’ Percy Harvin, draws flag

Nobody had to tell the Chiefs how dangerous Jets kickoff returner Percy Harvin is.

Harvin’s kickoff return for a touchdown in last season’s Super Bowl was a seminal moment in that game, and Harvin came close to adding another one to his resume Sunday, as he took back a kick 65 yards before he was hauled down by Chiefs safety Kurt Coleman.

Thing is, Harvin might have gone all the way if it were not for kicker Cairo Santos, who stuck out his leg — as if he were trying to make a soccer tackle — and managed to slow down Harvin enough to let Coleman track him down.

This resulted in a 10-yard penalty for tripping, though one could argue it was a good penalty. The Jets ended up with a field goal instead of a touchdown on the drive, and the Chiefs took a 21-10 lead into the break.

“I wouldn’t say it was dirty,” Harvin said. “I guess he was trying to do the best he could. But he clearly stuck his foot out.”

For his part, Santos said he was ready to catch some flak from his teammates for the play.

“Yeah, in the film room I’m sure we’ll have fun with it,” Santos said. “But at the end of the day, I can’t do that. I’m just trying to prevent a touchdown but I can’t do things like that.”

Royals shoutout

Tight end Travis Kelce punctuated his 12-yard touchdown catch from Alex Smith with a tribute, of sorts, to the Royals, whose World Series run came to an end last week.

After scoring the touchdown, Kelce pounded his chest and pretended to put on a backpack — which happens to be Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer’s go-to celebration.

“I had to throw the backpack on, carry the squad and be accountable,” Kelce said. “Gotta pay respect when the guys are doing an exciting thing for the city, in general.”

Kelce said he and Hosmer met a few weeks ago and became friends.

“Hoz is the man, he’s a cool guy,” Kelce said. “I heard from a lot of people that he was a good guy, so when I saw him, I made sure I introduced myself.”

Fasano's catch

Tight end Anthony Fasano still has a penchant for making the occasional highlight-reel catch.

Late in the first quarter, Fasano scored a touchdown in a very unique way. With a first-and-goal at the Jets’ 2-yard line, Fasano fell to the ground while carrying out a fake. Quarterback Alex Smith's pass, which was intended for another player, was tipped by Jets linebacker Calvin Pace. The ball flickered directly toward Fasano, who caught it short of the goal line and reached across for the touchdown.

It was the second notable catch of the season for Fasano, who also made a huge catch in week two against Denver, In that game, Fasano juggled a pass as he fell to the ground but kept his concentration the whole way and brought it in while he was on his back. The play went for 22 yards.

“Poe Heavy” returns

The Chiefs brought back their “Poe Heavy” formation in the first quarter Sunday on a pair of goal line plays at the Jets’ 1-yard line. On the first, running back Jamaal Charles was stuffed for no gain. On the second, Charles scored from a yard out.

Poe served as a lead blocker on both.

This week's inactives

Quarterback Aaron Murray, receiver Donnie Avery, cornerback Chris Owens, cornerback Jamell Fleming, center Eric Kush, guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and linebacker Josh Martin were inactive Sunday for the Chiefs.

Cornerback Phillip Gaines, the Chiefs' third-round pick in May, got the start in the base defense for Fleming. A.J. Jenkins got the start at receiver for Avery.

Quarterback Geno Smith, receiver Walter Powell, cornerback Darrin Walls, linebacker Ikemefuna Enemkpali, offensive lineman Dakota Dozier, offensive lineman Wesley Johnson and nose tackle T.J. Barnes were inactive for the Jets.

Worth noting

▪ With his first quarter touchdown, Jamaal Charles scored the 50th offensive touchdown of his career. Charles also has a special-teams touchdown to his credit.

▪ Offensive tackle Donald Stephenson, a projected starter who is still trying to earn playing time after serving a four-game PED suspension, reported as a tackle eligible in the first quarter. He helped lead the way on an 11-yard run.

Stephenson did the same in the second quarter. The Chiefs threw the ball for an incompletion.

▪ Dwayne Bowe's 11-yard catch in the second quarter gave him 500 for his career. He joined tight end Tony Gonzalez as the only players in team history to reach the milestone. Bowe now has 503 career catches to Gonzalez’s 916.

▪ Receiver A.J. Jenkins and Jets safety Antonio Allen got into a little scrum in the second quarter. Jenkins was blocking Allen on a running play and the two got into it and needed to be separated. Neither was penalized.

This story was originally published November 2, 2014 at 9:50 PM with the headline "Chiefs notebook: Cairo Santos trips Jets’ Percy Harvin, draws flag."