In a game where they trailed for almost 53 minutes, the defending AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs rallied late in the fourth quarter to secure a win in their first game of the regular season.
The Chiefs fought back from a 12-point halftime deficit against a tough Cleveland Browns team to win 33-29.
The Browns offense came out hot by converting on three of their first four drives and scoring their third touchdown on an untouched 18-yard scamper by running back Nick Chubb.
With such a great start Cleveland seemed destined for redemption for the close 22-17 loss against the Chiefs in last year’s divisional round of the playoffs.
However, a sack from defensive-star Chris Jones stalled the driving Browns, knocking them out of field goal range on their final drive of the half.
This turned out to be a pivotal moment in the game that swung the momentum for the struggling Chiefs defense, which stepped up in the second half of play.
Bearing down on the two-headed monster of Nick Chubb and ex-Chief Kareem Hunt in the Browns running game, the defense allowed only seven points and forced two turnovers after the break.
One of the turnovers was a clutch interception by new Chiefs cornerback Mike Hughes to end the game.
On offense, All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes led his team to victory with another spectacular performance from start to finish.
With the running game virtually nonexistent for the majority of the game, Mahomes scored the team’s only touchdown on the ground while completing 27 of his 36 attempts for 337 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
Eleven of the 36 attempts went to the NFL’s fastest man Tyreek Hill, who had a 197 yards from scrimmage and 75-yard score against a very strong Browns secondary.
The tough win added to Mahomes’ insane September stat line, where he is 11-0 with 35 touchdowns, zero interceptions, 3,680 passing yards and a passer rating of 124.4.
This was also his sixth fourth-quarter comeback and seventh game winning drive of his illustrious five-year career.
The Chiefs will need another strong performance on both sides of the ball in week two as they face the 2019 league MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens’ vaunted defense.
