Hunt scores 2 TDs as Chiefs hold on to beat Eagles 27-20

The Kansas City Chiefs followed their offensive-minded upset of the New England Patriots by leaning on their stout, opportunistic defense to upend the Philadelphia Eagles.

Two wins. Two vastly different ways to achieve them.

"No two games area alike in this league," said Alex Smith, who threw for 251 yards and a touchdown in their 27-20 victory on Sunday. "You have to find ways to make adjustments."

Six sacks and two interceptions is a good place to start.

The Chiefs (2-0) simply outscored the Patriots in their season opener last week, but they needed three sacks and a pick from defensive tackle Chris Jones , solid play in a secondary missing star safety Eric Berry, and some big plays down the stretch to keep the Eagles (1-1) at bay.

Travis Kelce had eight catches for 103 yards and a somersaulting go-ahead touchdown grab with 6:25 left in the game. Rookie Kareem Hunt followed his record-setting debut by running for 81 yards and two scores, the second of them giving Kansas City a 27-13 lead and seemingly putting the game away.

But Carson Wentz hit Nelson Agholor for an answering score with 14 seconds left, and Trey Burton jumped on the onside kick a few seconds later to give the Eagles one last throw to the end zone.

The Chiefs' defense stood tall once more: Wentz unloaded from just inside the 50-yard line, but his pass bounced off the hands of a couple defenders and fell incomplete as time expired.

"The takeaway is you're right there, a team that lit the scoreboard up in Week 1 in New England,'" Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "But we got to get the run game fixed. It's a team effort. However the game plays out, we try to find a way to win at the end and mistakes obviously cost us today."

Wentz finished with 333 yards and two touchdowns passing, despite facing relentless pressure all afternoon. The spunky quarterback also led the Eagles with 55 yards rushing.

"He's going to be one of the great ones in the league," Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston said. "He's very mobile, very calm in the pocket. It's tough to rush a guy like that that's real mobile in the pocket, that can spin moves and get out, get out of trouble."

The Chiefs led 6-3 at halftime, and it was still 13-13 in the fourth quarter when Wentz threw a pass that bounced off Houston and into the arms of Chris Jones. The pick gave Kansas City the ball deep in Eagles territory, and Kelce hurdled into the end zone five plays later.

It was sweet atonement for the talented but troublemaking tight end, who earlier in the half got an earful from coach Andy Reid when he picked up a 15-yard penalty for taunting.

"You can't do that. Got to be smarter," Reid said when faced with three questions about Kelce's antics. "He's got to learn. He did come back with a good play."

INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE: Both offenses struggled much of the game, and for good reason. Pederson was Reid's offensive coordinator in Kansas City for several years, and the two coaches run similar versions of the West Coast offense. That means they both knew what to expect. "We got a feel for what they were doing and our front seven got after them," Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen said.

JONES-ING: Jones had his big game despite leaving briefly in the second half and getting his eye checked. "The crown on my helmet hit me in my eye," the Chiefs' gregarious defensive tackle said. "I was sweating in it and it fell down and hit me in my eye, gave me a little stinger."

GETTING COMFY: After struggling last week against Washington, Alshon Jeffery appeared to get on the same page with Wentz at Arrowhead Stadium. He finished with seven catches for 92 yards and a score.

SACK ATTACK: Philadelphia had four sacks for the second straight game. Fletcher Cox had one to give him 30 1/2 for his career, the fourth most by an Eagles interior defensive lineman.

ERTZ-WHILE: Eagles tight end Zach Ertz had five catches for 97 yards, including a 53-yard catch late in the first half that ricocheted off the Chiefs' Terrance Mitchell. That play appeared to have set up a chip-shot field goal, but Jake Elliott's attempt missed as the half expired .

CLIPPED WINGS: The Eagles' ailing secondary lost two more players when starting safety Rodney McLeodand backup cornerback Jaylen Watkins left with hamstring injuries in the first half. Philadelphia was already without starting cornerback Ronald Darby because of a dislocated ankle.

MORE INJURIES: Chiefs center Mitch Morse left late in the game with a sprained foot. "Center in this offense makes a ton of calls," Smith said. "It's a big adjustment when he goes out."

NAMING RIGHTS: The Chiefs renamed the TV booths at Arrowhead Stadium in honor of Len Dawson, their Hall of Fame quarterback and broadcaster. He is retiring from doing radio analysis after the season.

UP NEXT

Eagles: home opener vs. Giants.

Chiefs: at Los Angeles Chargers.

Super letdown: Patriots routed in 2nd half, Chiefs win 42-27

Winning at New England when the Patriots are coming off an historic Super Bowl victory is worth getting a little wild over.

That's not the Kansas City Chiefs' style. Not even when a rookie is setting records.

Kareem Hunt, after fumbling on his first NFL carry, scored three times and set an NFL mark in a 42-27 stunner Thursday night to open the NFL season. Hunt's 246 yards in his pro debut were a record since the 1970 merger.

"We're going to enjoy the heck out of it," coach Andy Reid said after a superb second half carried his team. "It's one of 16 and something to build on."

Judging by how they won, it certainly is. There were big plays all over the field. The Chiefs, not the Patriots, were making them. Particularly Hunt.

"It started out just a little bit shaky, but it was all heart," Reid said of the third-round draft pick. "He was trying too hard."

Alex Smith threw two long touchdown passes and became the first quarterback with 300-plus yards, four TDs and no interceptions against coach Bill Belichick. The 42 points were the most the Patriots have allowed in Belichick's 17-plus seasons.

Coming off their sensational Super Bowl rally to a fifth Lombardi Trophy, the Patriots faded badly in the second half. A raucous sold-out crowd of 65,878 celebrated the unveiling of yet another championship banner, and there was plenty of talk about Tom Brady leading them to a 19-0 record.

After Week 1, though, they are winless.

"I just think we need to have more urgency and go out there and perform a lot better," Brady said "It's a winning attitude, a championship attitude you have to bring every day. We had it handed to us on our own field."

It was the first time the Patriots lost at Gillette Stadium when leading at halftime, a span of 82 games. They were no match for the Chiefs in the last two periods.

Tyreek Hill scored on a 75-yarder and Hunt put the Chiefs in front with a 78-yarder to punctuate Kansas City's charge after trailing 17-14 at halftime. Hunt also had a 58-yard scamper and finished with 148 yards rushing and 98 receiving. Hill had 133 yards through the air, and Smith went 28 for 35 for 368 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions.

"To start on your first carry like that and have it go like that, it would be hard to overcome for a lot of guys," Smith said of Hunt, from Toledo. "I thought it was awesome coach coming right back to him.

"There was a good chunk there where we were going as Kareem was going. He was really a big chunk of the offense tonight. For a young guy, we put a lot on him, in all facets of the offense tonight, and he was able to handle it.'

Brady, the 13th quarterback to start an NFL game at age 40, didn't look too spry. He struggled mightily in the second half and didn't throw for a touchdown, finishing 16 for 36 for 267 yards.

"Just a very poor effort and we'll have to do a lot better," Brady said. "Didn't make a lot of plays tonight, actually."

Patriots newcomer Mike Gillislee scored on three short runs, becoming the first player since Terrell Owens of Philadelphia in 2004 to score three touchdowns in his debut with a new team.

And Kansas City aided the Patriots' cause with 15 penalties for 139 yards. Yet, in the end, the Chiefs looked like world-beaters.

At the beginning, it seemed like an extension of February's Super Bowl. Riled up, Brady and the Patriots tore through the opposing defense as if it belonged to, well, the Falcons, scoring in nine plays, with Gillislee surging in from the 2.

One play later, they were at it again as Hunt fumbled. The Patriots took over at the Kansas City 32 and appeared to go up 14-0 on Rob Gronkowski's diving catch. Then a replay review overturned the score, with NFL headquarters - which now makes final decisions on such reviews - determining the ball hit the ground as Gronk came down in the end zone.

Gillislee was stopped on fourth-and-inches at the KC 10 and the Chiefs, looking very much like the host team, marched 90 yards in 12 plays. Hunt made up for his early gaffe by gaining 25 yards on the tying drive, which Smith capped with a sharp 8-yard pass to Demetrius Harris.

The teams traded long touchdown drives, New England going 82 yards to Gillislee's second TD, the Chiefs covering 92 yards at the end of the half before Hunt ran in with a 3-yard swing pass.

Stephen Gostkowski's 25-yard field goal was the margin for New England's halftime edge.

But the crowd's fervor was silenced with Hill's long touchdown on which prized free agent addition cornerback Stephon Gilmore was torched. Hunt sped down the middle behind linebacker Kyle Van Noy and DE/LB Cassius Marsh to put Kansas City in front for good.

SHORT YARDAGE

New England failed twice in the first quarter on short-yardage runs, by Gillislee and Super Bowl hero James White, and again in the fourth period, by Gillislee. If anyone proclaimed the Patriots were missing RB LeGarrette Blount, who scored 18 TDs last season and was a beast in such situations, well, Gillislee, who came from Buffalo as a restricted free agent, ran in for a pair of 2-yard touchdowns and a 1-yarder.

ROGER, ROGER

Not only did the crowd revel in the video highlights from the Super Bowl, the fans booed vigorously when Commissioner Roger Goodell was shown talking on the sideline Chiefs owner Clark Hunt during warmups. A website distributed thousands of towels featuring Goodell's face adorned with a clown nose, and many fans also had T-shirts with the caricature. Goodell watched the game from a suite, but not with Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

INJURIES

Kansas City's star safety Eric Berry was carted off with 4:56 remaining with an Achilles tendon injury that Reid feared was a tear that would sideline Berry for the season.

The Patriots lost perhaps their best defensive player, linebacker Dont'a Hightower, in the third quarter with a knee injury. His absence showed on Hunt's long TD reception. ... WR Danny Amendola left in the fourth quarter with a head injury. He's projected as New England's slot receiver with Julian Edelman out for the season.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Host Philadelphia on Sept. 17.

Patriots: Visit New Orleans on Sept. 17.

Alex Smith leads Chiefs past mistake-prone Saints, 27-21

Alex Smith huddled with Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy in front of his locker, not more than 15 minutes after Kansas City had beaten the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

If they were already dissecting his performance, they weren't going to find many faults.

Smith threw two touchdown passes in another calm, efficient outing, and Daniel Sorensen returned an interception of Drew Brees for another score as the Chiefs held on for a 27-21 victory.

"Everybody trusts Alex, man. Alex is a pro," said Tyreek Hill, who made an acrobatic 38-yard TD catch to help the Chiefs (4-2) win their ninth consecutive home game. "He's good. He's the truth."

Smith was helped by another big game from Spencer Ware, the one-time fill-in for Jamaal Charles who's become a star. He had 77 yards rushing to go with a 46-yard TD catch.

"He runs with a lot of physicality and determination, but a lot of agility," Smith said. "He's a good mix and I think you just see a guy who has great vision."

Brees tried to rally the Saints (2-4) once again, pulling them within 24-21 on a touchdown pass to Brandon Coleman with 2:33 left. But the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, Kansas City added a field goal and the Saints could do nothing in the final 28 seconds to change the outcome.

Brees finished with 367 yards and three TD passes, and became the first player with 100 games with at least 300 yards passing. But much of that offense came while he was trying to rally his team. It was another uneven performance away from the Superdome for the New Orleans quarterback, who was coming off a 465-yard game last week against Carolina.

"Listen, we've set the bar pretty high at home, haven't we? We can't expect 500 yards on the road," he said. "It's what home-field advantage is, right? We can definitely execute better though."

Meanwhile, the Chiefs showed some moxie after falling into an early 7-0 hole.

Ware's touchdown on a screen pass and Sorensen's pick-six off a batted ball quickly turned the momentum, and Hill added his long touchdown reception to make it 21-7 at the break.

The Saints drew within a touchdown on Mark Ingram's catch midway through the third quarter, but the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner fumbled inside the Kansas City 10 with 8:26 left in the game.

"That's just everybody flying to the ball," said the Chiefs' Marcus Peters, who recovered it.

The fumble with the Chiefs leading 24-14 proved to be pivotal. New Orleans got the ball back and eventually scored, but the extra time it took may have cost them a chance to win the game.

"You play a good team on the road, penalties and turnovers, they can really do you in," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "Interception return for a touchdown on third-and-long, fumble in the red zone and we're not a good enough team to overcome some of those mistakes."

LOTS OF LAUNDRY

The Saints struggled with the crowd noise in Arrowhead Stadium, getting flagged for four false starts and a delay of game. They also got hit with two unnecessary roughness penalties, including one with just over two minutes left that kept them from getting the ball back. "With a veteran quarterback like that, you don't really expect it," Chiefs safety Eric Berry said.

BETTER DEFENSE

The Saints defense voluntarily skipped their day off Monday to review video, and it seemed to pay off. One of the league's worst defenses held Kansas City to just 326 yards of total offense.

REID ROLLS 300

The Chiefs' Andy Reid coached his 300th game Sunday. Most of those were over his 14 seasons in Philadelphia, where he was 140-102-1. He is now 36-21 in his fourth season in Kansas City.

INJURY REPORT

Saints: LB Dannell Ellerbe (quad), LB Stephone Anthony (hamstring) and CB Delvin Breaux (broken leg) left New Orleans without three defensive starters, while starting LG Andrus Peat (groin) was also out. Backup LGSenio Kelemete later left with a stinger, forcing Tim Lelito into the lineup.

Chiefs: Starting CB Phillip Gaines (knee) was inactive, while Charles (knee swelling) was active in a limited role . He had just one carry early in the game. "Things were going OK so I just let him ride there," Reid said. "I'm trying to be as careful as I can with him in my ear wanting to play."

Ware, Smith help lead Chiefs to 26-10 over Raiders

With two weeks to stew over a lopsided loss, the Kansas City Chiefs went back to basics and put together a balanced offense that allowed the running game to shine.

Spencer Ware ran for a career-high 131 yards and a touchdown, Alex Smith picked apart Oakland's struggling defense and the Kansas City Chiefs shut out Derek Carr and the Raiders in the second half of a 26-10 victory Sunday.

"That's the game we play," said defensive lineman Dontari Poe, who got into the act on offense with a TD run of his own.

"You come out sometimes and it doesn't go your way, but you got to make sure it goes your way the next time. Can't keep on the downward spiral. You got to get it back up."

In their first game since getting blown out by 29 points in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, the Chiefs (3-2) efficiently handled a Raiders team that had overcome defensive shortcomings with a big-play offense to lead the AFC West.

Smith completed 19 of 22 passes for 224 yards and the Chiefs forced two turnovers by Carr to dampen a fast start to the season by the Raiders (4-2), who are trying to end a 13-year playoff drought.

"I felt like we did a great job taking our shot today and when we did, hitting them," Smith said. "But certainly the running game got us going and staying with that. Those guys drove it down in the beginning."

Marcus Peters set up Ware's TD run with an early interception of Carr and Dee Ford forced a fumble from Carr in the fourth quarter to end any hopes of a late comeback.

After allowing a touchdown on the opening drive, the Chiefs held the Raiders to one field goal the rest of the way.

"It hurts man," Carr said. "We didn't do good enough at all. That was bad. That was a bad performance by us."

BIG-MAN TD: The 346-pound Poe showed off some versatility. With the Chiefs facing 3rd-and-goal from the 1 in the third quarter, Poe came in as an eligible receiver. He initially lined up in the backfield before shifting out wide right. He then took a lateral from Smith and bulled with way into the end zone for the TD . It was the first TD run by a defensive player since Poe had won last year against San Diego.

"I'm taking credit for that one for all the chubby guys out there," coach Andy Reid said. "He's got phenomenal hands. ... It's just a matter of looking it in, be patient and then cut the beast loose."

WELCOME BACK: After getting only two carries in his first game back from a torn ACL, Jamaal Charlesplayed a bigger role this week. He scored his first TD since Sept. 28, 2015, with a 4-yard run midway through the second quarter. Charles finished with nine carries for 33 yards and two catches for 14 yards.

QUICK TURNAROUND: Just when it looked as if the Chiefs would add on to a 13-7 lead late in the first half, there was a major momentum shift. Spencer Ware was stopped for a 2-yard loss on third-and-1 by Stacy McGee and Cairo Santos missed a 38-yard field goal. The Raiders took over with 25 seconds left and one timeout. But Carr quickly completed three passes for 44 yards and then spiked the ball with 1 second left, setting up a 46-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski that cut Kansas City's lead to 13-10 at the half.

All that momentum was erased when Kansas City took the second-half kickoff and drove down for a touchdown.

"To come out and let them go right down the field to start the second half, that's a major can't do," coach Jack Del Rio said.

HAPPY HOMECOMING: For the second straight year, Peters had an interception in his return to his hometown. Peters left the game for a bit in the second half to go through the concussion protocol, but was cleared and able to return.

FAST START: The Raiders jumped out early, thanks to a 50-yard return of the opening kick by Jalen Richard. Carr completed four of five passes on the ensuing drive, including a 3-yarder to Andre Holmes that made it 7-0 with Oakland's second first-drive TD of the season. That was about it for highlights for the Raiders as Carr struggled in the rain and wasn't helped by dropped third-down passes from Seth Roberts and Richard.

Roethlisberger has 5 TD passes, Steelers thump Chiefs 43-14

 Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdowns passes for the fifth time in his career and the Pittsburgh Steelers throttled the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14 on Sunday night.

A week after suffering the franchise's worst loss in 27 years, the Steelers (3-1) responded by overwhelming the erratic Chiefs (2-2).

Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown - wearing cleats featuring the profile of golf great and western Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer - for a pair of scores.

Roethlisberger also found Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jesse James for touchdowns as the Steelers emphatically rebounded from a 31-point meltdown in Philadelphia. The quarterback finished 22 of 27 for 300 yards and a rating of 152.5, just shy of a perfect 158.3 rating.

Le'Veon Bell ran for 144 yards on 18 carries and caught five passes for 34 yards in his return from a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Bell's return brought Pittsburgh's high-powered offense back to full strength for the first time this year, though he spent most of the first half watching Roethlisberger go to work.

The Steelers scored a franchise-record 22 points in the first quarter as their defense forced a pair of turnovers Roethlisberger quickly converted into touchdowns. Pittsburgh reached the end zone three times in a span of six offensive snaps in the quarter and added a two-point conversion on top of it while the Chiefs floundered in the rain.

Smith was 30 of 50 for 287 yards and two inconsequential fourth-quarter touchdowns after things were well out of hand. Spencer Ware ran for 82 yards but also fumbled in the first quarter that kick-started Pittsburgh's record-setting run. The Chiefs allowed four sacks to a team that came in with an NFL-worst one on the season and could do little right.

Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles ran one time for 6 yards in his first game since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last October. It was perhaps the lone bright spot in a loss that played in stark contrast to a romp over the New York Jets last week in which the Chiefs forced eight turnovers.

They didn't force one against the Steelers and instead watched Pittsburgh cross the goal line six times. Pittsburgh's 43 points were the most allowed by Kansas City in a regular season game since Andy Reid took over in 2013.

INJURIES

Chiefs: Running back Knile Davis was evaluated for a concussion

Steelers: Right tackle Marcus Gilbert went down with a left ankle injury late in the first half and did not return. Linebacker Anthony Chickillo (knee) and Jarvis Jones (ankle) and Heyward-Bey (shoulder) all left in the second half and did not return.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: are off next week before traveling to take on the suddenly dangerous Oakland Raiders on Oct. 16. Kansas City is 5-1 against the Raiders under Reid.

Steelers: Begin a three-game swing against AFC East teams next Sunday when they host the New York Jets.

Chiefs get 8 turnovers, take 2 for TDs in 24-3 win over Jets

 Derrick Johnson saw everybody else picking off passes for Kansas City and decided to join the party.

Then he figured he might as well score, too.

The veteran linebacker snagged one of six interceptions thrown by Ryan Fitzpatrick, scored one of the Chiefs' two touchdowns off turnovers, and put an exclamation mark on a rather bizarre 24-3 victory over the hapless, turnover-prone New York Jets on Sunday.

"We put an emphasis on taking away the ball all the time," said Johnson, who scored his fourth career TD. "If you can get a turnover, it's a big momentum changer. And if you can score, it's even bigger."

A turnover? How about get eight.

Marcus Peters had two of the interceptions for the Chiefs (2-1), including the first of four in the fourth quarter. Johnson, Daniel Sorenson and D.J. White grabbed the others as the Jets piled up their most turnovers since setting a franchise record with 10 in a loss to the Patriots on Nov. 21, 1976.

"I'm stunned, disappointed ... mad," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "We could have come out prepared. We could have come out and executed better. There's 50 million things when you lose and we lost. Pick any one of them."

Alex Smith was 25 of 33 for 237 yards and a touchdown for Kansas City, while Spencer Ware added 75 yards rushing. But it was the performance of the defense - and all those Jets turnovers - that helped the Chiefs bounced back from their first regular-season defeat in 12 games.

Eric Berry picked off a pass in the end zone late in the third quarter, and a fumbled kick return by the Jets' Jalin Marshall was returned 27 yards by Demetrius Harris for another score.

"I think it stemmed from practice this week," Berry said. "Everybody had a great practice. The emphasis was on finishing plays and not being too concerned with the score."

The Jets' Matt Forte, who scored three times against the Bills, was held to just 65 yards rushing, while wide receiversBrandon Marshall and Eric Decker were held in check.

But it was Fitzpatrick who was downright dismal a week after torching Buffalo, going 20 of 44 for 188 yards. His six picks tied a franchise record while establishing a career high, surpassing the five that he threw for St. Louis against Minnesota on Dec. 11, 2005.

"I've had some bad ones," he said, "so all I can do is put it behind me and move on."

CHIEFS NOT INFALLIBLE

Kansas City appeared to take a 24-3 lead in the third quarter when Ware stretched the ball into the pylon for a touchdown. But officials reviewed the play and saw the ball beginning to come out, and decided that it was a fumble resulting in a touchback for New York.

"You don't want them dropping the ball," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, "but it's hard to tell them not to stretch."

TURNOVER TROUBLE

Things could have been worse for New York. Berry and Sorenson dropped picks moments before Sorenson hauled in his interception, and Fitzpatrick fell on his own fumble earlier in the game.

PETERS A 'PICKER

It was the second straight two-interception day for Peters, who has quickly become one of the league's top cornerbacks. He had eight as a rookie in the regular season a year ago.

"When things are happening like today," Peters said, "you enjoy. You embrace the opportunities."

DECKER MIA

Decker had his streak of touchdowns in six straight games come to an end. The Jets wide receiver, who has scored 15 times in his last 19 games, had his only catch in the fourth quarter.

MARSHALL PLAYS

Marshall was active after missing practice earlier in the week with a slightly sprained knee. But shadowed by Peters and Berry, the star wide receiver had a tough time getting open. He finished with three catches for 27 yards, on several occasions complaining about the tight coverage.

INJURY REPORT

Jets: CB Darrelle Revis was evaluated for an eye injury and missed the final series of the first half. He returned after the break. ... DL Lawrence Thomas left in the first half with a shoulder injury. ... LB Erin Henderson was inactive because of a foot sprain.

Chiefs: RB Jamaal Charles (ACL surgery) remained inactive for the third straight week, but coach Andy Reid insisted the four-time Pro Bowl selection is getting closer to playing.

Novak makes 4 field goals, helps Texans beat Chiefs 19-12

DeAndre Hopkins got Houston going early and defense and special teams did the rest in a 19-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Hopkins had 113 yards receiving and a touchdown and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to help the Texans to the victory .

Novak connected from 32, 24, 31 and 43 yards for the Texans.

Cairo Santos made three field goals in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 19-12, but Houston recovered the onside kick with less than a minute left to seal the victory.

The Texans (2-0) showed that they are a much different team than the one that was embarrassed in a 30-0 wild-card playoff loss to the Chiefs (1-1) in January, when quarterback Brian Hoyer had five turnovers.

New quarterback Brock Osweiler did throw two interceptions but the Chiefs had more trouble taking care of the ball, with Houston's defense setting a franchise record by recovering three fumbles in the first half.

"Our defense really stood up there and when they had to in critical situations played well," coach Bill O'Brien said.

The first came when a high snap sailed over Alex Smith's head. J.J. Watt shoved him out of the way with one hand and pounced on it, showing he was getting back to his old self after July back surgery.

Osweiler, who finished with 268 yards passing, connected with Hopkins on a 27-yard touchdown pass on the next play to make it 7-0.

"When your defense makes a big play or your special teams make a big play, on offense you need to take that momentum and finish with a touchdown," Osweiler said. "That's exactly what took place in that moment."

Watt continued to shine later in the first quarter when he took Smith down for his first sack this season, forcing the Chiefs to kick a field goal that made it 7-3.

Houston was leading by seven in the second quarter when Spencer Ware fumbled, Kevin Johnson scooped it up for his first career recovery and returned it 52 yards. The Texans couldn't get their offense going after that and settled for a 24-yard field goal to make it 13-3.

John Simon forced the last fumble of the half on his strip-sack of Smith. It was recovered by Whitney Mercilus. But once again Houston failed to move the ball and Novak's try for a 57-yard field goal fell short as time expired in the first half.

"We had way too many mistakes today," coach Andy Reid said. "Too many penalties. Dropped balls. You name it. Turnovers, we had three turnovers. All these things led to points. That's my responsibility."

Marcus Peters intercepted Osweiler at the goal line on Houston's first possession and picked him off again late in the third quarter.

That led to a 43-yard field goal that cut the lead to 13-6.

A field goal by both teams after that left the Texans up 16-9.

FULLER FLOURISHES

Houston rookie receiver Will Fuller finished with four receptions for 104 yards to become the first rookie in franchise history with consecutive 100-yard receiving games to start his career. The 21st overall pick in this year's draft had 107 yards receiving in his NFL debut last week.

INJURY REPORT

Houston rookie WR Braxton Miller injured his hamstring in the first half and did not return. He doesn't think the injury is serious, but will have an MRI on Monday.

ELITE COMPANY

Watt finished with 1.5 sacks on Sunday to give him 76 in his 82nd career game. He's the second fastest in NFL history to reach 75 sacks behind Hall of Famer Reggie White who did it in 65 games.

NO, NO, NO

Peters learned that wagging your finger in the face of an opponent like NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo did after blocking a shot is frowned upon on the NFL.

Peters forced an incompletion on a deep ball thrown to Fuller in the second quarter and wagged his finger at him for several seconds. The move earned him a 15-yard penalty for taunting and a warning that a second such penalty would result in an ejection.

"He's competing against a guy and made a nice play on the ball." Reid said. "But you can't wag your finger - they're going to get you."

SPREADING THE WEALTH

Hopkins and Fuller gave Houston two players with at least 100 yards receiving for the eighth time in franchise history and the first time since 2013.

BRING IT BACK

Kansas City rookie Tyreek Hill had a 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown negated because of a holding penalty late in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

Kansas City hosts the Jets next Sunday.

Houston travels to meet New England on Thursday night.

Chiefs overcome 17-point deficit, beat Chargers 33-27 in OT

 Alex Smith squirmed out of the pile in the end zone, got to his feet and let out a roar.

All it took was the largest comeback in the 56-year history of the Kansas City Chiefs for the stoic quarterback with the California cool to finally let some emotion show.

Smith threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns to rally his team from a three-touchdown hole, then scored on third-and-goal on the first possession of overtime for a heart-stopping 33-27 victory over the San Diego Chargers in their season opener Sunday.

"Lot of emotion at the end of the game," Smith said with a smile.

The Chiefs trailed 24-3 in the second half before mounting their charge, and it really kicked into gear when Smith hit Jeremy Maclin with a back-shoulder fade to get within 27-17 with 9 minutes to go.

Cairo Santos added a 33-yard field goal a few minutes later. Then, after forcing a three-and-out, Spencer Ware finished a four-play drive with a touchdown plunge to knot the game at 27.

It took Kansas City 10 plays to march 75 yards in overtime. Smith finished it with his plunge from the 2-yard line, keeping the ball rather than pitch when the smallest of creases opened.

By the time Smith reached his feet, the Chiefs had flooded onto the field to celebrate.

"You're going to have games like this that show your character, show your grit," coach Andy Reid said. "I'm proud of the way they handled it. They had confidence in each other."

Philip Rivers threw for 243 yards and a touchdown, and Melvin Gordon scored the first two TDs of his career. But the Chargers were unable to keep any drives going in the fourth quarter, when the Chiefs were charging to their NFL-leading 11th consecutive regular-season victory.

"You just can't let them back in. We've got to close it," Chargers offensive tackle Joe Barksdale said. "Everybody with eyes who saw the game has got to know, we have to close it. It's not acceptable to be up by 24-3 and lose the game. We know that."

The collapse came after San Diego wide receiver Keenan Allen left in the second quarter with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. He already had six catches for 63 yards.

Even without Allen, the retooled Chargers and their improved offensive line managed to build a 21-3 halftime lead. And it looked as if their eight-game skid against AFC West rivals would finally end.

That all changed once the fourth quarter began.

Josh Lambo missed a 54-yard field goal with San Diego leading 27-10, and the momentum swung toward Kansas City. Smith calmly completed six passes and marched his team 56 yards to the end zone, Santos hit his field goal and Ware his touchdown run, and the game was headed to overtime.

The Chiefs carried their newfound momentum all the way to the finish.

BLACK POWER

Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters held a black-gloved fist aloft during the national anthem in a salute reminiscent of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. It was his way of standing beside 49ers quarterbackColin Kaepernick's stance on social injustice.

"I'm supporting Colin and what he's doing, as far as raising awareness with the justice system," said Peters, who grew up in Oakland, California. "Coach said it was OK if I wanted to express my thoughts about what I wanted to do, so I just expressed it."

Peters did link his left arm with his teammates as country singer Trace Adkins performed the anthem. The Chiefs said in a statement they decided to lock arms in a show of solidarity.

MISSING NAMES

The Chiefs played without star pass rusher Justin Houston , who could be out until November as he recovers from ACL surgery in February. The Chargers were without defensive end Joey Bosa, the third pick in April's draft, who remained on the exempt list after a lengthy holdout.

RUNNING IT: Ware finished with 70 yards rushing and had seven catches for 129 yards, giving the Chiefs a big boost without Jamaal Charles. The four-time Pro Bowl running back is still recovering from surgery last season to repair his ACL and was inactive Sunday.

INJURY REPORT

Allen missed the final eight games last season with a lacerated kidney , and now could be out the rest of this season. He never put weight on his right knee after going down Sunday.

"There is speculation about an ACL," coach Mike McCoy said, "but we'll run tests when we get back home."

Chiefs linebacker Sam Barrington left in the second half with a hamstring injury.