KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce didn’t play.
Let’s start there. The All-Pro tight end’s absence undoubtedly had an impact on the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense.
But the Chiefs’ new-look receiving corps struggled — narrowly avoiding collisions on routes and dropping passes, including a brutal tipped ball by Kadarius Toney that Detroit’s rookie safety Brian Branch intercepted and returned 50 yards for the game-tying touchdown in the third quarter.
Kansas City’s run game also sputtered, averaging less than 4 yards per carry even with Patrick Mahomes six scrambles for 45 yards.
Meanwhile, the Chris Jones-less defense was leaky, allowing protracted drives that didn’t help Mahomes’ efforts to develop any rhythm in a stunning 21-20 loss Thursday against the Lions to open the NFL season.
The result isn’t as stunning as the way it happened in a flurry of at least a half-dozen drops, including two on the final drive that zapped any potential Mahomes Magic.
“It’s unusual for us to drop that many passes anywhere, anytime,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said. “We’ll go back and work on that. You’ve got to take care of business, and these guys know that. We’ll go back and fix that.”
The Chiefs offense’s troubles seemed far deeper than one player, even if he’s the best tight end the NFL’s ever seen.
After the defense got a fourth-down stop near midfield in the game’s closing minutes in a one-point game, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore had brutal drops on a series that ended with two receivers, Moore and Justin Watson, canceling each other out on a fourth-and-25 prayer as the two-minute warning arrived.
Toney, who also had a drop in the third quarter that turned into a game-changing pick-six, was touted throughout the offseason as a No. 1 receiver.
He then missed training camp after knee surgery and struggled mightily in his debut as Kansas City’s top option outside, finishing with one catch for 1 yard.
“I have trust in KT,” Mahomes said. “He missed a lot of training camp. Obviously, he wanted to play and fought through rehab hard so he could play. Stuff’s not always going to go your way. Obviously, he would have wanted to catch a few of those in the game, but I have trust that he’s going to be that guy that I go to in those crucial moments and he’s going to make the catch.”
Mahomes said as Toney gets “more and more reps” now that he’s able to practice again “those drops will disappear.”
Moore, who was supposed to emerge as a playmaker in his second season in the offense, didn’t have a catch and was targeted three times.
“We didn’t have that connection,” Mahomes said. “We missed connections here and there, but that’s something you have to continue to work on. He’s one of those guys that have a ton of talent and can make big plays happen.”
Kansas City now has 10 days to get Kelce healthy and get ready for an AFC Divisional rematch with Jacksonville.
“I think they know that I’m going to keep firing, so we’ll try to get it fixed this next week and correct it going into next game,” Mahomes said.
LIFE WITHOUT KELCE: Noah Gray replaced Kelce in the starting lineup and finished the first half with three targets, second-most for the Chiefs, but only had one catch for 5 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Gray caught a short pass, broke a tackle and turned upfield for a 24-yard gain and a first down into Lions territory.
It was a catch and run worthy of Kelce and led to a field goal that extended Kansas City’s lead to 20-14 early in the fourth quarter.
Gray finished with three catches for 31 yards, a fine effort for a backup tight end, but hardly Kelce replacement level.
Veteran tight end Blake Bell also chipped in.
After going his first 98 career regular-season games without a touchdown, Bell, a Wichita native, found the end zone for the second time in the last three games.
“It’s good to get in the end zone, but I want to win the game,” Bell said.
Bell, who owns one postseason TD from the 2020 AFC Divisional comeback against Houston, scored in Week 17 last season against Denver and added a second-quarter touchdown Thursday to give Kansas City the lead.
NO GUTS, NO GLORY: Detroit set the tone early as teams
Facing fourth-and-2 inside their own 20-yard line on the game’s second drive, Dan Campbell rolled the dice rather than punting the ball back to Mahomes near midfield.
The payout was huge after the up man, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, powered his way to a first down.
Rather than a three-and-out, the Lions would march 91 yards on 14 plays, devouring more than 8 minutes of the first quarter for the game’s first score — a 9-yard touchdown from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The Chiefs’ defense is used to opposing offenses taking risks as a countermeasure against the Reid/Mahomes juggernaut — and now special teams knows it needs to be on high alert, too.
PASS RUSH: Kelce wasn’t the only big name missing Thursday.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones, who has led the Chiefs in sacks for five consecutive seasons, watched the game from a suite at Arrowhead flanked by his agents amid a contract holdout.
In his absence, Kansas City managed one sack — Mike Danna to0ok down Jared Goff in the first half — and four QB hits, including two by rookie first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
“I saw what I saw from those guys all training camp,” linebacker Nick Bolton said. “... Those guys work hard every single day to put themselves in a position to make plays. I think today is just a product of those guys doing what they asked to do in the scheme and finding ways to be effective. I don't expect that to stop, especially when we get Chris back.”
The Chiefs relied on blitzes to generate pressure, but the pass rush didn’t feel remarkably different for 3 1/2 quarters.
“The guys up front busted their tails tonight,” coach Andy Reid said. “It didn’t come out the way we wanted it, but I thought they did some good things there.”
But it was clear late that Kansas City lacked a closer, which Jones was last season when he tied his career-high with 15 1/2 sacks.
“A guy of Chris’ caliber is always going to be hard to replace, but I feel like those guys come in the locker room every single day and give their hardest. They deserve to be respected. They come in every single day and put their best foot forward.”
NEW RECEIVERS: All seven wide receivers on the active roster suited up for the game, including rookie second-round pick Rashee Rice, who wasted no time finding the end zone.
Answering a 14-play Detroit touchdown drive, Rice capped a 13-play drive with a 1-yard reception, finding himself all alone in the back of the end zone after Mahomes had an eternity to scan the field.
He was the only newcomer to make much of an impact, at least in a positive way.
Rookie Justyn Ross did catch his first career pass, a 6-yard out route, late in the second half.
HONORING NORMA HUNT: The Chiefs will wear a new uniform patch — an embroidered “NHK” on a football background on the right shoulder — this season that honors the late Norma Hunt.
Hunt, 85, who died in June, was the matriarch of the Hunt family and Chiefs Kingdom and regarded as the “First Lady of the NFL.”
The logo on Kansas City’s right shoulder already includes the initials of the Chiefs’ founder and Norma’s late husband, Lamar Hunt.
The franchise honored Hunt on the field before the game during a banner unveiling, recognizing the Super Bowl LVII championship.
It was a bittersweet moment for Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, the son of Norma and Lamar, who celebrated the milestone for the first time without either of his parents.
The Chiefs honored Norma Hunt’s life and accomplishments with a narrated piece and on-field presentation at halftime.
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