Chiefs 34, Texans 20: Insta-reaction from a (Super Bowl) banner night at Arrowhead
There are a thousand things to talk about, some of them serious, some not, but before we go another word we need to offer our warmest regards to football. You’ve been missed, like never before. Thank you for coming back.
It was weird. Very weird! I’m typing these words in a socially distanced press box with a mask on my face. Sixteen thousand or so fans watched in a steady drizzle, their social distance enforced by zip-tied seats (the orange is gone, thank God). They’re still doing The Chop here, and they’re still calling it that, but now it’s with a closed fist, not an open palm, which totally means they’re banging a drum ... which is ... better?
I don’t know. Again: lots of weirdness.
The Houston Texans did not come out for the national anthem before the game. They sat in their locker room during an NFL video promoting racial justice, too, which means they missed the mix of cheers and boos that came down after. They did not miss the booing from some after the teams lined up together just before kickoff in a show of unity.
That was bad and, actually, proved the point about why the players feel so strongly about promoting their message.
In some circles, that’s all they’ll talk about from this game. That’s how Kansas City was presented to America’s largest audience for sports since the Super Bowl. To be clear, it was a small number of fans who booed. But that doesn’t matter, not on this kind of platform.
I keep thinking about this: Black friends, particularly those in Kansas City who root for the Chiefs, feeling this simultaneous joy in being able to watch their team again and what I can only assume would be some wicked mixture of anger, frustration, sadness and detachment after hearing a plea from mostly Black athletes for unity get booed.
This is me pausing, just another moment, which still isn’t enough to digest what that would feel like.
OK, football. The Chiefs did beat the Texans 34-20, after all.
Here are five thoughts from this game.
1. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is going to be a star. Have you heard that somewhere?
Look, he’s set up for success. He excels in space and is great out of the backfield, playing in an offense that puts playmakers in space and uses running backs out of the backfield. He’s surrounded by stars, with the league’s best quarterback, and still ranks no higher than third on defensive coordinators’ priority list.
You can see how this will work, right?
The Chiefs are going to face a lot of sub-packages, with two or fewer linebackers on most snaps. That means lanes to run, or a defense essentially being forced to cover Edwards-Helaire or Travis Kelce, or both, one-on-one with a linebacker.
The highlight came on the touchdown, when he juked Texans safety Justin Reid into the ground with a one-step cut to his right. You’re going to see a lot of that.
2. But Edwards-Helaire did not do this by himself. The offensive line was very good, particularly in the run game. There were plays when Edwards-Helaire or fellow running back Darrel Williams did nothing interesting and still gained four or five or more yards.
Curious to see if this is a trend.
3. That was kind of a theme all over the field, really. The Chiefs beat the crap out of the Texans, on both sides of the ball.
The Chiefs will be faster than most any team they play this year. If they can also be more physical, well, goodnight.
4. Rookie cornerback L’Jarius Sneed had such a good night that I’m making sure my computer knows to stop changing L’Jarius to Ladarius.
The Texans challenged him one-on-one twice in the first half, and with capable receivers: first Will Fuller, then Brandin Cooks, each with Deshaun Watson doing one of those one-read throws that makes you think he knew what he was doing as soon as he saw the matchup.
Both fell incomplete against tight coverage.
Then Sneed got an interception, though to be fair it was more a product of the Chiefs’ pass rush getting to Watson.
Excellent debut for the 138th pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
5. Some injuries will be worth monitoring — Charvarius Ward, Alex Okafor and Khalen Saunders did not finish — but other than that, this was about as clean a debut as the Chiefs could hope for.
It’s hard to know how much of this was one night, or Andy Reid’s superiority over Bill O’Brien, or the Chiefs’ relatively low turnover on the roster and coaching staff, or some other explanation I’m not thinking about at the moment.
I wondered if the Texans would have some extra juice because of what happened the last time they played here, when they blew a 24-point lead in the playoffs, but, well, that did not happen.
The Chiefs weren’t great against the run (again), but other than that? They scored four touchdowns and a field goal on their first seven possessions (one punt came after a touchdown was called back on review) and squashed one of the league’s best offenses.
Andy Reid and some others around the organization have mentioned that they never completely peaked last season, and every time they said it, somehow it came across more as factual than boastful.
If this is the beginning of them being proven right, well, this will be a heck of a ride*.
* Assuming a full season and playoffs!
The Chiefs just beat one of the AFC’s top contenders in a standalone, network prime-time game. They now have the equivalent of half a bye week to prepare for a division opponent missing its No. 1 receiver and all-world safety.
Finally, the Chiefs catch a break.
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 10:23 PM.