The Pittsburgh Steelers and the AFC didn’t need to go see the midnight premiere of “IT” Thursday night. All they needed to do was watch the Chiefs vs. Patriots.
For those who didn’t watch the New England Patriots roast the Atlanta Falcons by putting the 28-3 score on the scoreboard before they introduced their Super Bowl teams and then lose a fourth quarter lead to the Kansas City Chiefs, you’re lucky. What the NFL witnessed on opening night was one of the most frightening things to happen in football in years.
Not only, did the Patriots still put up 27 points AND GET BLOWN OUT, but the Chiefs looked like a team who could take on the world and win by 20.
For starters, anyone who said Patrick Mahomes should be the starter in Kansas City, go away. Alex Smith proved he’s ready to win with his arm. His 368 yards and four touchdowns against a Patriots’ defense everyone expected to be one of the NFL’s best, was incredible.
Then, you watch Kareem Hunt look like he was the number one pick in the draft, three years ago, and this is his breakout season. 246 total yards and three touchdowns. Are you kidding me?
Kansas City’s offense looked like one of the best in the NFL. Firing on all cylinders, these guys were unstoppable in everything they did, against a Patriots team that was basically handed the Super Bowl before the season even started.
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The Patriots still looked dangerous, too. Putting up 27 points against Kansas City’s defense is not an easy task for anyone, especially when Tom Brady doesn’t throw a touchdown.
No, Mike Gillislee’s 15 rushes for 45 yards and three touchdowns was not impressive. Anyone can squeeze into the endzone three times from inside the five-yard line, especially when the defense has to worry about Brady.
So, yes, there were flaws for New England.
Brady getting held for 16/36 for 267 yards and no scores was something no one was expecting. Maybe Julian Edelman being out did hurt this offense, but with Brandin Cooks joining the team, most would expect this offense wouldn’t lose a step.
The bad play isn’t what makes this game scary, though. New England needed this. They were too cocky heading into the season, and everyone had already given them the Lombardi before a game was even played.
They needed to lose. Tom Brady needed to lose.
Yeah, he’s 40-years-old, but he’s the greatest quarterback of all-time and still looked like he can go out there and take over a game at any moment, even if he didn’t this time around.
0-1 means virtually nothing for the Patriots. All it does is give them a reason to work harder and turn their team around. Something Bill Belichick has been able to do effortlessly for a decade.
What the AFC was hoping for was a big New England win, showing the Chiefs have flaws. Major ones to make it better. But instead, it just proved that the Chiefs can do whatever they want, and they’re one of the best teams in the league.
It also proved that New England needs to make adjustments. The only problem is that they will.
Out of every possible scenario, this is the last one the Steelers or anyone in the NFL wanted to see. Now, the league has two dominant teams to worry about instead of one Goliath.
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Kansas City vs. New England was a horror movie, and every time the Chiefs scored again the AFC dug their face into their shirt a little more.