This punt would be the first of five consecutive punts for Kansas City.
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Allen was immediately put on a cart and taken off the field as he covered his face, in tears.
Brock Osweiler had a memorable debut as the Houston Texans claimed a 23-14 win over the Chicago Bears. The league will play videotaped messages from President Barack Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush, before each game, and a 9/11 decal will be placed on players’ helmets, the league said.
After another weak drive by the Chiefs’ offense – quarterback Alex Smith looked flummoxed by defensive coordinator John Pagano’s coverages, and the Chiefs only managed 34 first-half rushing yards on nine carries – the Chargers seemed primed to end the half with another score, too, as they recorded two more first downs with less than three minutes remaining.
Cairo Santos kicked a 33-yard field goal a few minutes later.
With just a minute to go in the game, Chiefs player Spencer Ware ran the pigskin into the end zone tying up the game.
Kansas City, meanwhile, found the offensive life that was nowhere to be seen in the first half and pulled off the biggest comeback in franchise history. Smith finished it with his plunge from the 2-yard line, keeping the ball rather than pitch when the smallest of creases opened.
Much of the team’s confidence heading into the new season stemmed from the belief the offense led by quarterback Alex Smith could carry the team while the defense finds its equilibrium. The Chiefs said in a statement they chose to lock arms in a show of solidarity. “I’m proud of the way they handled it”.
Key play: The Chiefs trailed by 21 points when TE Travis Kelce’s reception moved the chains on fourth down, leading to a TD. Chargers running back Melvin Gordon ran for two touchdown and the Chargers took a 21-3 lead into halftime. The Chargers said All. “I think today he really lit a fire under us and got us going”.
Allen went down with a non-contact knee injury as he was coming out of a break in the second quarter. The Bolts got inside the 20 yard line twice but both times had to settle for Josh Lambo field goals instead of touchdowns. The Chargers’ first-round pick a year ago was a relative disappointment, never once getting into the end zone during his rookie season, but finally showed flashes of what made him a college star.
Everything changed in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers raced to a 24-3 lead early in the second half, and still led 27-10 early in the fourth quarter.
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We, like most people, didn’t have much in the way of expectations for the Chargers in 2016, but that’s what makes football so wonderful: Training camp, preseason and Week 1 of the regular season are less about reality and all about hope.
