NFL Week 1 Game Recap: Kansas City Chiefs 44, Arizona Cardinals 21

Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) prior to the snap in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs proved they still belong among the NFL’s elite, cruising to a 44-21 Week 1 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

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Offensive spotlight: If Patrick Mahomes misses Tyreek Hill, he certainly didn’t show it against the Cardinals. The former MVP threw for 360 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions on his way to a 144.2 passer rating. That included two big-time throws.

Defensive spotlight: Chris Jones showed why some consider him the best interior defensive lineman outside of Aaron Donald. On 30 pass-rushing snaps, Jones tallied five pressures and a 23.7% pass-rush win rate. He also batted a pass in the process.

Rookie spotlight: A couple of first-round picks debuted for the Chiefs' defense. Trent McDuffie didn’t see any targets across his 21 coverage snaps. Meanwhile, George Karlaftis had three pressures and a quarterback hit across his 22 pass-rushing snaps. Chiefs seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco scored the first touchdown of his career and had a game-high 62 rushing yards.

Offensive line spotlight: Both offensive lines struggled in pass protection. Chiefs tackle Orlando Brown Jr. allowed seven pressures on his way to an 18.5 pass-blocking grade on first review. Cardinals center Sean Harlow allowed five pressures on 35 pass-blocking snaps.

Betting Summary

Betting Odds Closing Result
Spread KC -6 KC Covers
O/U 53.5 Over

Box Score

Passing
Kansas City Chiefs
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int
Patrick Mahomes 37.9 30 / 39 360 9.2 5 0
Arizona Cardinals
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int
Kyler Murray 20.62 22 / 34 193 5.7 2 0
Trace McSorley 2.48 2 / 4 12 3 0 0
Rushing
Kansas City Chiefs
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long
Patrick Mahomes 37.9 3 5 1.7 0 4
Clyde Edwards-Helaire 22.4 7 42 6 0 18
Isiah Pacheco 12.2 12 62 5.2 1 22
Marquez Valdes-Scantling 8.1 1 -3 -3 0 -3
Jerick McKinnon 7.9 4 22 5.5 0 18
Arizona Cardinals
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long
Kyler Murray 20.62 5 29 5.8 0 21
James Conner 16.5 10 26 2.6 1 8
Eno Benjamin 9.1 4 28 7 0 16
Trace McSorley 2.48 3 20 6.7 0 14
Receiving
Kansas City Chiefs
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT TD
Travis Kelce 29.1 9 8 121 13.4 1
Clyde Edwards-Helaire 22.4 3 3 32 10.7 2
JuJu Smith-Schuster 12.9 8 6 79 9.9 0
Mecole Hardman 10.6 6 3 16 2.7 1
Marquez Valdes-Scantling 8.1 4 4 44 11 0
Jerick McKinnon 7.9 4 3 27 6.8 0
Jody Fortson 7.1 1 1 1 1 1
Skyy Moore 4 1 1 30 30 0
Noah Gray 2 2 1 10 5 0
Justin Watson 0 1 0 0 0 0
Arizona Cardinals
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT TD
James Conner 16.5 6 5 29 4.8 0
Marquise Brown 14.3 6 4 43 7.2 1
Greg Dortch 13.3 9 7 63 7 0
Zach Ertz P 11.4 4 2 14 3.5 1
Eno Benjamin 9.1 4 3 33 8.2 0
A.J. Green 3.3 4 2 13 3.2 0
Andy Isabella 2 3 1 10 3.3 0

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