TNF Recap: Texans At Chiefs

City c e h with t D one. What a night for the rookie clad Edwards Hilaire a great cutback run. The NFL season is officially underway and the team that won the last game of the previous season wins the first game of the new one. It is the Kansas City Chiefs who win thirty four to twenty over the Houston Texans in front of almost nineteen thousand people at Arrowheads Stadium. Yes, and the rookie Clyde Edwards Hilaire was the star on offense for the Chiefs, running for a

hundred and thirty eight yards and to score. Dan Hansa is here along with the rest of the heroes, Greg Rosenhal, Mark Settler and Chris Westling and West this was not the type of game that you come to expect from Patrick Mahomes in the Chiefs, where they're just wowing you with big play after big play. But at the end of the game, you look up, they have thirty four points and their cruising past another team that simply had

no answers. And that's not counting the best throw of the night, which Patrick Mahomes put on DeMarcus Robinson's hands in the back of the end zone and he couldn't come down with it could have been a forty point gaming and talking about not hitting their stride quite yet, um and relying more on on the rookie running back

then than the passing game. So, as Greg said at one point late in the game, I'm here rooting for the Chiefs like West used to look route for the Patriots, just just out of pure excellence in football, right, I mean, you should be able to appreciate excellence greatness. I think this is what Mahomes is and what this team is

going to be. And it reminded me so much of the playoff game against the Texans in that Okay, you can show a lot of different things defensively early, and Chris Collinsworth is going crazy and Dan is really getting excited about Dream Weaver, the attractive new defensive coordinator for the Texans, Anthony Weaver, and it's like, wow, they're really they're they're mixing them up, and it's like, okay, that that's great for like two or three drives, and then

Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes kind of figures out what you're doing and tonight what they needed to do to win with just to slowly move the ball up down the field. So it's like, okay, we'll do that and we'll have thirty one points with eleven minutes left in the game. And oh, by the way, when you were doing well early, it was like one punt and a drop touchdown in the end zone. You really didn't do them. It just they make it look so easy as wild

I point to their drive. There was a six team play yard drive that made it fourteen seven and four. You get down fourteen seven to the Chiefs. It feels like a lot different than it does to other teams that that eight nine plus minutes off the clock. I just there there's another thing that stuck out to me. We spent months saying that, you know, week one, if

it ever even happened, would be sloppy. It would be a hot mess that even you know, veteran Leiden teams would be figuring themselves out one penalty by the Chiefs for five yards and and Greg spent part of our preview show on YouTube live session talking about how Andy Reid historically with the Chiefs has come out and dropped bombs on teams in Week one, and there were a

lot of issues for everyone this time around. But I thought they got cleaner as the game went along and they just simply look at they They had to win a little bit of a different way today. But I see a team with Edwards, a lair who gives them a totally new h dynamic in the backfield, and they get an interception by Lagarius sneed their fourth round cornerback. They're just they have younger players adding to a team

that seemed invincible a year ago. I'd be a little bit um, a little bit terrified if I were in the a f C West or parts beyond. I mean, I wouldn't hand out lollipops just yet. Let's see the rest of the week one schedule because the Chiefs have continuity on their side and they have Patrick Mahomes in an offense that's pretty much uh constructed as it was last year. But listen, this is a great, great team.

And by the way, yeah what, I don't know what the scientists were saying, but yes, oh yeah, you should be able to truly appreciate greatness, all right, But when it happens twenty straight years and that teams from the division that your favorite teams, and maybe it's not so beautiful, it's not some ballet on the gridiron, but you know whatever, For now, though I agree with you because I'm not

a Chiefs fan. I don't have skin in the game, but it is fun to watch this team that's a now a juggernaut, it's a defending Super Bowl champion that it feels like we're just getting to know this team, that this is gonna be a team that's in the mix and is going to be a high level power in the NFL for potentially years to come. And you know, on the Texans side of the ball, I thought, you know, a lot of the same issues. DeAndre Hopkins isn't there,

and I know Will Fuller. Statistically, when you look at the box score, it's like, oh, look, he stepped right into Hopkins shoes. But that's really not what happened here. Um, Kurt Wanner, I was listening to a little bit of the game on Westwood One. We went to westling Manor with West and Lakisha Young Link and West's mother in law, and we, uh, we were watching the game and once it got out of hand in the fourth quarter, drove

back and Kurt Wanner made a good point. He was kind of getting on the roster construction of Bill O'Brien's team a little bit, which is, listen, when you have this many number two, established, number two receivers, it's a little tricky to like ask somebody to become the number

one guy. And what was happening too much in this game is what tends to happen when the Texans defense offense gets bogged down, which is plays aren't opening up, and all of a sudden you see Deshaun Watson dancing around trying to make something happen desperately, and that only goes so far. And and we saw that again, and you hope that's not a sign of things to come. For the Texans this season, but it was today. It was today. They struggled to protect him, and they couldn't

get anything open deep. Titus Howard in particular struggled in past protection that was a problem. And and I think that that point by Kurt Warner is fair. But also Deshaun Watson is so used to looking at DeAndre Hopkins and throwing to him in key situations, whether he's covered or uncovered, and it's gonna take him time to get used to these new guys. I thought it was interesting that Randall Cobb and Will Fuller played twice as many

snaps as Kenny Stills and Brandon Cooks. Cooks has had an injury, so that partly explains that, but you wouldn't have known Cob played that many snaps. I mean, for twenty three yards, it's a lot to their offense. I was impressed though, by the Chiefs defense. I mean, this is a reminder when Frank Clark and Chris Jones are together and healthy, which they really weren't for most of the last year until the very end when their defense played the best they played all year, that that's a

really uh strong tandem. And Jones stopped a couple of drives on his ownes. As West mentioned, Clark uh was eating up Titus Howard that the Texans and oh, by the way your boy hands this uh Laramie Tounsil he did. He did get a false start very quickly, so he's staying right on pace for that. You know, one penaltye per game. That's that's Tonsil's lane. I wanted one little aesthetic note. I came home from West's and watched the game.

I watched the game with with Simone and the kids, and like she was very annoyed by this one Chiefs player that had these bright yellow gloves because you know, when he was dancing around like chasing a receiver, and it looks like a flag. And I think at the end they actually the announcers thought that there was a flag. You cannot be wearing yellow gloves, uh anyone. So I understand it's part of your color palette. But um, I could not agree more. I could not agree more with

Simone on this issue. Just sticking deeper on this, let's keep going. I think I've I think I've drawn it out as far as I can. But I just but Edwards Hilaire West we talked about it. I I think because he has the same number. I was like, wow, he has a little bit of a little Sean McCoy

vibe to him, but he is smaller than that. But even on a run near the end of the game, and like I said, a hundred and thirty eight yards and their last drive that ended up with a field goal that Al Michael's beautifully let the audience know with a wink, wink, nudge, nudge that had affected a lot of things in the desert. He dropped his older state

on his feet, got an extra seven yards. If you are a Chiefs fan, if you are Andy Reid, if you're a Fantasy uh fan who took this guy in the first round, you're feeling bullish right now after what Clyde Edwards Hilaire did in his debut. Yeah, I thought he ran really decisively, look great in the middle of the field, and um, if you're the chief she might worry a little bit. I thin you've got stuff so

easily at the goal line so many times. I think that his strength though he is he's also I mean he set l s U S pass catching record is from for running backs. I mean, they haven't really even tapped into that in this game. And I can't know, and Andy Reid is sort of a master, you know, creating the screen game advantages, so I think we're just

starting to see the beginning. But it reminds like the you know, throwing them into them into the middle of the defense over and over, like on third and fourth and shortened stuff that didn't seem to be something that he had mastered at this point. Well, he's got to be a great player for them. But it's like flow down on, just like giving all the credit to a layer,

like he's gonna be great for them. I heard them say some status like it's the most yards or a first round pick in his debut or this to that, and I'm thinking, didn't Kareem Hunt go up and down the field and drop a bomb on the Patriots in his first game? Ever? It's like, well, he wasn't a first round pick, but he put up about two yards in the same offense with the same coach. Um I was it was the same quorderback back then, right, or that was that that might have even been Alex Smith.

They put a forty burger out. I mean that that kind of makes make makes my point for me that you can put anyone in there. You can put Damian Williams and he might be a Super Bowl m v P. There's just so many other things to worry about, Like you're gonna let a layer beat you. I mean, that's it. Just it's gonna take a special defense UM to give them problems. And I think we know the Texans UM have a long way to go to be a special

defense this year. I mean, apparently he's a borderline XFL player based on your commentary saying he's a very good player. But they're saying if if any first round running back in there, they're gonna do well. I know what you're saying.

But he did a few things today even though it wasn't a perfect game, and you know they're working on it this week over the next ten days to get better in goal line situations because it wasn't pretty, but he's flash enough that made you think, oh god, this if this actually does play out the way a lot of people thought it could, that this guy is special, you can't you literally can't stop the chief without the problems really, because even without even if you had Damian

Williams or whomever back there, they have so many people that Patrick go Holmes can go to on this offense, and and they talked about it on the telecast as well. That picked your poison. But with someone as good as the Homes behind center, he's gonna find the guy and they're just gonna score points every single game. And then it just becomes about can you score against the defense? And we mentioned this in our YouTube preview. Over the LASS six games of the regular season last year, the

average eleven a half points allowed on defense. Kansas City then go win three games in the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. So the defenses should not be overlooked here. This is a special team potentially, and they spent less money on defense last year than any team in the league and and won the Super Bowl with it. So I just you know, there, I couldn't be more impressed

with the team building effort in Kansas City. I will ask you, guys, wanted to question because you know, Greg and I were sitting we were socially distanced, but we were in the corner of the of West manor Um, you know, having a little bit of a discussion back and forth. Did the players at all look a little hesitant on defense when it came to tackling or a little bit off their feet and maybe a little bit tired towards the end of the first half. And I

think that's something that would carry over to Sunday. I mean it was, it was a little sloppy, and then it's almost like the course corrected by the end of the game. It was it's tough to tell, Like I think they the Chief's offense was a little sloppier than normal. It's one of those things that's like they're still gonna be NFL players, But yeah, I think the tackling and the defense for the most part is gonna be hard.

Then again, you look at like the numbers and they you know, you keep Patrick Mahomes under seven yards per attempting now you mentioned before for the show Dan, It's like, I guess that's that's a good that's a good job, you know, at least keeping the big plays off the board relatively. I just was thinking, though we were in West Manner, this was west as um first game he ever watched as a father, and then with his son right there too, first game, first game for a link.

How you feeling great? Is in his little football outfit. Thanks to our friends yet and him that personalized with west Lane on the back, so nice to have him there in his football uniform. It was it was a great time. I thought the most explosive play of the night was the poop that he unleashed late in the second Carter had changed his diaper he came in. There

was not for Keisha off the couch. It was that powerful. Uh, And I guess my final thought is if you're looking for positives out of Houston, Yeah, you didn't get embarrassed, so that's pretty good, but you're not looking to not be embarrassed. You fasten yourself and a f C contender. David Johnson did look good, especially early on when this game was uh, you know, in doubt, and he played well and had that great little jump cut for the touchdown on the nineteen yard run. So that's a positive

and you get the feeling. Especially now, who knows we're gonna find out the injury status of Duke Johnson who left with a leg injury. Johnson might become a workhorse for them. I don't know about using the word embarrassed, but that wasn't a close game and the Chief's crew, um my final thought would be you know the old Alex Baldwin quote for Chiefs fans right now, life is just a boulevard of unbroken green lights. You walk into every game thinking you're gonna win when you have Patrick

Mahomes at quarterback. It's true, and you have you have green lights you know, facing you for the next ten fifteen years. Really, it really is a is a unique and have to be a great feeling for this fan base. I would I would like to see Billy Billy O'Brien be just like a little more aggressive on fourth down. Really, don't don't punt it away, go in there knowing that you gotta score forty know what kind of game it's

gonna be. And I don't know what they would have done schematic wise to to make it a bombs away type of game. But man, they never threw the ball down the field at all. They weren't read that was ready. That was the only way you're gonna win this game. And kind of know the situation you're gonna be in, Go for it on fourth go deep, go past crazy,

don't you know, don't be balanced. So Dan, they weren't ready for this game, and they weren't ready for the first three quarters of the playoff game against the Bills. They are just start getting ready for these games with all this time to prepare, and you want to hear the worst news. Uh, next week they welcome the Ravens into their buildings. So their schedule is brutal, to my goodness. So you have to go to Arrowhead on the opening night,

which is basically a lambing led to slaughter. You have the Ravens come to your building, then you go to Pittsburgh and then you host the Vikings and then things soften up a little bit with the Jaguars, but then you have the Titans and Packwards Packers after that. So they are entering a situation now. It's one of those things. And that's why the NFL schedule is so much different than other sports. Uh, you lose that first game, all of a sudden, it starts to get a little hot

under the collars. So it's a double playoff schedule right there. You know, I bring this team up a lot and West probably tires of I guess I think I even compared um one of your softball teams, uh, one of the Shield teams to the Ers. And when I came home and Luke is saying I'm rooting for the Texans because the chief Speed the Niners, right, And I don't

know the way of thinking that team. I think they ended up going fourteen and two, but they were closer to like one or sixteen and no, Jugger not right. And the thing was every week. You know, if you want to be someone that's out there thinking I'm rooting against the Chiefs, I'm waiting for something bad to happen like you are rolling uphill, because it's just it just has a look of a team that is going to just find new ways to win, become more powerful by

the week. And you know, I we all know a few Chiefs fans and they kind of struggled and suffered for a long time with teams that came close. Now you have a team that got there, and it's just a question of how many more they can win at this point. And I don't like to jump too far ahead because these things don't happen that often. But this is a very different situation then some of the other one off Super Bowl winners we've seen before. I'm with you. We we'd be remiss not to mention um. You know,

some of the pregame stuff. That the Texans stayed, you know, in the locker room like it used to be back for the first you know, seventy eight years of the NFL that they were never outside of the locker room for the national anthem until until the last two decades and you know, their safety. Justin Reed said they considered delaying the game that they had talked about, um, you know, whether they would come out late, you know, and have the game start late as a as a way to

to raise awareness. They decided not to do that. They stayed in the locker room. Uh you know, the team's locked arms at midfield and the Chiefs crowd that was there booed them pretty hardcore at that moment, which which was interesting. We won't see that like in in other stadiums, but it is still just a sea change to see that. The league itself kind of embracing that with the messages on the on the player's helmet. It's a it's a it's a lot different than it was when Colin captain.

Most and most stadiums are gonna be empty on Sunday, but it was interesting to vibe It felt like Week four the preseason in terms of the crowd where you have about people in there. People are cheering, but because it's such a big space and it's open air, it just doesn't have the same energy. But it's gonna be better than other games that we watch and would be super odd. It's gonna be super odd this this week. I think it. I think it can be two things,

which is it will be odd. That's of course that that is true, But I also think it's a TV sport and like if the quality of play is good and the replay, I don't know, it's just it still just felt like NFL football to me. I think we're also getting a little bit used to it. I mean we're whatnot football will be a whole different world than baseball and basketball. But how long did it really take

you to get used to watching baseball without fans. I'm not saying it's better or worse, but I mean it's not that jarring that I can't functionally deal with it as a human. I mean, it's a weird year. Hopefully it does stay this way, but um, I don't know. I mean I normally a big baseball fan. I've I've

hated the experience with no fans. I feel like it takes away a lot of the like energy and for football, you could turn that up and multiplied by ten arrowheads should have been going bonkers tonight and that would have added more excitement to it. But that's just Yeah, that's the cards we've been dealt as a as a world right now, and that is what it is. Well, there's also the player that might not care. And then there's the other player. There are others. They talked about how

they fuel off the fans. I think football, you know, like all the sports, but there are certain football players that might turn in a different performance with eighty thou people cheering them or booing them. All Right, that's it for the recap of Thursday Night Football. A reminder you could check out the preview of all the Week one games that have not been played yet on your whatever

wherever you listen to your podcast. It was an episode we released released earlier on Thursday, so make sure you check that out and then come back. Of course Sunday Night UH our flagship program of the Around the NFL podcast, where we recap every game played on Sunday until then. Dan adds a signing off four in the Quiet Storm, The Mailman, The Old Boston Rock, Hollywood, Behind the Glass tell Sunday Night