The successful kickoff was no small feat for Butker, who injured his left ankle during a kickoff earlier in the game. The injury forced the veteran kicker to miss much of the first half, forcing safety Justin Reid, who had an extra point attempt during preseason, to work. Reid was also successful, converting 1 of 2 extra point attempts while handling the game’s remaining kickoffs.
“I had so much fun,” Justin Reid said. “It brought me back to my high school days… I always wanted to record it to let people know that I can really kick. It’s there now and it will be there forever.”
The Chiefs continued the momentum started by Butker’s 54-yard haul after halftime, scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions while holding Arizona scoreless until early in the fourth quarter. Tight end Jody Fortson, wide receiver Mecole Hardman and running back Isiah Pacheco were responsible for a trip to the end zone as part of an effort that amassed 488 net yards of offense while going 6-for-6 in the red zone.
“Guys were ready to go,” Mahomes said. “They were excited to go out there and show what we’ve got. All through the offseason, people were asking us what this team was going to look like. We always thought we were going to go out there and put on a show, and I thought the guys did that.”
Meanwhile, the Kansas City defense continued to frustrate the Cardinals’ offensive attack throughout the game. Arizona was just 3-for-12 on third down and punted five times. To further illustrate the Chiefs’ defensive dominance, Mahomes recorded more passing yards (360) than Arizona’s total yardage total (282).
The Chiefs also had three sacks in the game and repeatedly harassed Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who only accounted for 222 yards of total offense.
“We played well, we missed a lot of opportunities, but overall I think we got better as a group,” defensive lineman Chris Jones said.
Source: www.chiefs.com