Bills open season with shocking rout of Chiefs
Posted September 11, 2011 4:12 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick performed well enough last year that Chan Gailey didn’t hesitate to appoint him the starter this season.
Smart move, coach.
The career backup threw four touchdown passes Sunday, two of them to journeyman tight end Scott Chandler, and the Bills romped to a 41-7 victory over the bumbling Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
It was the most lopsided season-opening loss in Chiefs history, and their worst home loss since a 45-0 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers 35 years ago.
Fitzpatrick finished with 208 yards passing in a pinpoint performance, and Fred Jackson added 112 yards rushing for the Bills, who hadn’t scored 40 points in a season opener since beating the Los Angeles Rams 40-7 on Sept. 6, 1992.
Chandler came in with one catch in 14 career games. He had five for 63 yards against Kansas City’s inept pass defence, which was missing Eric Berry most of the game after the star safety sustained a knee injury in the first quarter.
Matt Cassel threw for 119 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Jamaal Charles led the Chiefs with 56 yards on the ground. But even that was a lacklustre performance — he was the league’s second-leading rusher last season and he was facing a Bills defence that was the worst in the league in defending the run in 2010.
The Bills didn’t have much problem stopping it Sunday.
They didn’t have much problem with anything.
From the moment Dexter McCluster fumbled the opening kickoff, giving the Bills a short field, they were in control of the game.
Fitzpatrick needed only five plays to hit Chandler from four yards out for a 7-0 lead, and Buffalo scored again late in the first quarter when Fitzpatrick hit Steve Johnson in the back of the end zone. That touchdown was set up by a 35-yard pass to David Nelson.
Even when Kansas City put together a promising drive, things went haywire.
Cassel appeared to find tight end Leonard Pope from 19 yards out for a touchdown early in the second quarter. The officials reviewed the play, though, and determined Pope’s left knee came down out of bounds while he was still juggling the ball.
Cassel was sacked by Spencer Johnson on the next play, and Ryan Succop missed a field goal.
Buffalo promptly went 50 yards for a field goal and a 17-0 lead, and added another field goal after Charles fumbled on the first play of the Chiefs’ ensuing possession.
The Bills scored 20 or more points four times last season.
They had that many with 5:38 left in the first half Sunday.
Kansas City finally mounted a scoring drive that Cassel finished off with a short touchdown pass to Charles on third down, but the Chiefs still trailed 20-7 at halftime.
Chandler added his second TD grab after halftime, which came after a pair of penalties turned third-and-goal at the one foot line into third-and-goal at the 11. Fitzpatrick added his fourth touchdown toss of the game to Donald Jones later in the third quarter.
There was a sombre atmosphere at Arrowhead most of the day, and not just because of the score. As one of the main venues selected by the NFL for Sept. 11 tributes, a field-sized American flag was unfurled before the game. American Idol winner David Cook sang the national anthem, and military flyovers were conducted before kickoff and again at halftime.
