KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Just about the only member of the Kansas City Chiefs who didn’t drop a pass in their 21-20 loss to Detroit Lions to open the NFL season…
Just about the only member of the Kansas City Chiefs who didn’t drop a pass in their 21-20 loss to Detroit Lions to open the NFL season on Thursday night was Travis Kelce, and that’s because he was on the sideline in street clothes.
Rashee Rice dropped one in the opening minutes. Kadarius Toney had one bounce off his hands, get picked and returned 50 yards for a touchdown, all before dropping another long pass in the waning minutes. Skyy Moore had one bounce off his hands, as did backup tight end Noah Gray and Jerick McKinnon, a running back known for his dependable hands.
Patrick Mahomes had to be wondering who he offended to see so many of his passes end up on the ground.
“Just missed connections here and there,” he said. “Something you have to continue to work on.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid took responsibility for the sloppiness on offense, which resulted in just 226 yards passing and 316 of total offense. But much like Kelce, who hyperextended his knee in practice Tuesday and was made inactive after testing before the game, Reid was standing on the sideline and had no bearing on whether passes were caught or not.
“No excuses at all. We’ve got guys that can play,” Reid said. “We were right there to take care of business, and you know, they got us on special teams and continued a drive and they got us on the tipped ball. It’s unusual for the guys to drop the ball. That is not what I’ve seen from that. You do that — you take care of business here — you’re all right.”
Indeed, the Chiefs had a chance to rescue victory from defeat and made it a true celebration of their Super Bowl title.
The Lions pulled ahead on David Montgomery’s touchdown run with 5:05 left, and the Chiefs took over after a touchback on the kickoff. Two strong runs set up third-and-1, but rather than run straight-ahead or call a quarterback sneak, the Chiefs tried some trickery by having tight end Blake Bell take a direct snap and hand it off to Rice on an end-around.
He was stuffed for a loss and the Lions took over on downs.
Even without All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who is in the midst of a holdout, the Chiefs defense continued to make plays in an attempt to bail out the offense — a bizarre turn of events, given it is usually the other way around in Kansas City.
The Lions got a big early gain from Jahmyr Gibbs but then stalled near midfield, and gambling Lions coach Dan Campbell decided to go for it on fourth down. Chiefs safety Justin Reid snuck up to the line of scrimmage, and when quarterback Jared Goff tried to throw downfield, he jumped into the passing lane and batted it down.
Chiefs fans no doubt sensed victory at that point: Mahomes had the ball back with 2:30 to go, the Chiefs had big-legged kicker Harrison Butker awaiting on the sideline, and they had seen the Chiefs rally in the final minutes so many times.
This time was different. And it was more dropped passes, along with some penalties, that proved to be the problem.
On first down at the Chiefs 45, Mahomes saw Toney coming free deep down field, and his pass hit him right in the hands. But like so many other times Thursday night, it bounced off Toney for an incompletion, when a reception would have easily gotten Butker within range of a potential winning field goal.
Now facing second down, Mahomes again dropped back and saw Moore coming loose across the middle, and he also dropped the pass. But making matters worse, left tackle Donovan Smith was called for holding, pushing Kansas City back.
On third-and-20, and with time starting to become a problem, Moore dropped another pass that would have set up a third-and-manageable situation. Mahomes threw an incompletion on the ensuing play, and right tackle Jawaan Taylor was called for a false start to make it fourth-and-25 with just over 2 minutes left in the game.
Andy Reid decided to go for it, rather than use all three of his timeouts to make a defensive stop.
That pass by Mahomes also fell incomplete.
By the time Montgomery churned forward for a first down, the Chiefs had used up those timeouts, and all the Lions had to do was kneel the ball to snap their eight-game winning streak in season openers.
“It’s unusual for us to drop that many passes anywhere, any time, so we’ll go back and work on that,” Reid said. “You got to take care of business and these guys know that, so we’ll fix it.”
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Paqui, an Austin, Texas-based chip company famous for its viral Paqui “One Chip Challenge” product, is working with retailers to pull the tortilla chip from shelves.
Paqui, an Austin, Texas-based chip company famous for its viral Paqui “One Chip Challenge” product, is working with retailers to pull the tortilla chip from shelves, the company announced on its website.
The decision to remove the chip comes after a 14-year-old — Harris Wolobah — died in Massachusetts on Sept. 1, which his family believes is related to the Paqui “One Chip Challenge,” according to WCVB-TV, an ABC News affiliate.
Worcester Police confirmed Wolobah’s death is under investigation and that he died on the same day that he participated in the Paqui “One Chip Challenge.”
“The Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting the chip is not for children or anyone sensitive to spicy foods or who has food allergies, is pregnant or has underlying health conditions,” the statement from Paqui read.
Paqui was selling single chip packages, and the “One Chip Challenge” involves seeing how long a person can go without eating or drinking after eating the hot pepper chip. The challenge went viral online and many videos show people as they attempt to eat the chip.
According to Paqui’s frequently asked question section on their website, the chip is seasoned with Carolina Reaper Peppers and Naga Viper Pepper. The site also said the peppers are “among the hottest peppers currently available,” with Carolina Reaper Peppers roughly 1.7 million Scoville Units and the Naga Viper Pepper at roughly 1.4 million Scoville Units, a unit used to measure the heat of peppers. A jalapeño registers between 2,500 and 8,000 Scoville Units, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Paqui explained they were pulling the chip since they had seen consumers not paying attention to the recommendations on the label.
“We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings. As a result, while the product continues to adhere to food safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, we are actively working with our retailers to remove the product from shelves,” the company’s statement continued.
Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday to note the dangers of the chip.
“Medical professionals have said the tortilla chip, which is made from two of the spiciest chili peppers in the world, can cause very serious and dangerous side effects,” read Early Jr.’s post.Editor’s Picks13-year-old speaks after avoiding major injury in nearly 100-foot Grand Canyon fall85,000 high chairs recalled due to hazardous fallsOver 15K pounds of Hillshire Smoked Sausage recalled due to possible contamination with bone fragments
Early Jr. suggested parents warn their children not to participate in the viral challenge as “other states across the country have seen hospitalizations due to the chip challenge, including teens.”
In a statement announcing Wolobah’s death, Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Rachel Monárrez said: “As a mother and educator, I cannot imagine how hard this is on his family, friends and teachers. My heart goes out to all who knew and loved him.”
Paqui said the company is offering refunds on the “One Chip Challenge” product.
“Good Morning America” has reached out to Paqui for additional comment.