New kickoff rule confuses Chiefs at season opener

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – This offseason, the NFL’s changes to kickoff rules were the center of attention.

The Kansas City Chiefs need to focus a little more on them, which was evident in a 26-13 loss in preseason play on Saturday in Jacksonville.

“There are some things we need to work on in this game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “The obvious one is we're going to fix the special teams and what happened there.”

Players must now remain still until the ball is touched, coverage and blocking units have moved to the other side of the field, kickers must target the red zone as a “landing zone,” two players must stand deep for the return, and touchbacks are penalized more severely – as was the case with Kansas City's special forces unit in the game against the Jaguars.

After a field goal to open the game, the Chiefs had to accept a 73-yard return. Reid said poor kick return coverage “compromised” the defense's first series.

Linebacker Leo Chenal received a holding penalty on Kansas City's first kickoff return, and the second resulted in a safety.

Cam Little's kickoff landed in the end zone, which would have triggered an automatic touchback under last year's rules, and spun back to the 1-yard line.

Deneric Prince started to jog, but Mecole Hardman Jr. noticed the ball was still in play and rushed to cover it. He knelt in the end zone, grabbed the ball and pulled it into the end zone, where he surrendered himself.

Initially, the referees spotted the ball at the 30-yard line, from where it now goes directly into the end zone via a touchback, but after review this was changed to a safety.

“I think they're trying to work it out,” Reid said. “Usually if the ball goes into the end zone and you touch it there, it's a dead ball. But we'll work it out and see what they come up with.”

Other low points on the special teams include new punter Matt Araiza having a mediocre debut with the Chiefs, averaging 41.3 yards — and a measly 36.5 net yards — on four punts with the longest being 44 yards.

For anyone interested, Tommy Townsend averaged 48.3 yards on his four punts in a regular season game in Jacksonville last September.

One bright spot, however, was Harrison Butker, who signed the most lucrative contract for a kicker in NFL history.

On a novel kickoff, he successfully fielded a ball in the landing zone and spun into the end zone for a touchback at the 20-yard line. He also made both field goals, including a 45-yard field goal on the first series.

Rookies impress: Safety Jaden Hicks, a fourth-round rookie, was likely a surefire candidate to make the roster after a strong camp, but he has shown that his performance in camp is no fluke.

Hicks had four tackles, including some tough stops, and was responsible for one of the defense's five tackles that resulted in a loss of yardage.

“I liked what I saw,” Reid said. “He's big and fast. He did a good job on special teams, so I thought he did a good job overall.”

Fullback Carson Steele, a non-drafted rookie, also impressed with four runs for 29 rushing yards (most on the team) and Kansas City's only touchdown.

He played like a battering ram in training camp, but was relatively unknown to Chiefs fans – until now.

“I think Hicks and Steele played well,” Reid said. “With those two, you look at them and think, 'They kind of jumped out a little bit.'”

Xavier Worthy, a speedy wide receiver from Texas and first-round pick, did not have a single catch but only played a handful of snaps with the first and second units.

“The first call was for him,” Reid said. “They covered us a little differently, so it didn't quite work out the way we wanted.”

Tight end Jared Wiley caught both passes for 5 yards, while running back Louis Rees-Zammit completed two runs for 1 yard and also caught a pass for 3 yards. Rees-Zammit, a former Welsh rugby star, also kicked off one pass and was involved in a tackle.

AMERICA'S TEAM?: Fans from all 50 states and Washington DC attended Kansas City Chiefs training camp this summer, according to President Mark Donovan.

“Remember, St. Joe, Missouri, has hosted people from all over America and every single state,” Donovan said in a broadcast of the season opener from Jacksonville. “That's a pretty exciting sign of how popular this team is and what a great experience our staff at St. Joe's training camp with Missouri Western provides.”

It's no surprise either.

Led by two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are the first two consecutive Super Bowl winners in two decades, have won three of the last five Super Bowl titles and are on the verge of reaching their fourth Super Bowl in that span.

Meanwhile, Kansas City star tight end Travis Kelce co-hosts “New Heights,” one of the most popular sports podcasts in the world, with his brother (future NFL Hall of Famer Jason Kelce).

He is also dating pop icon Taylor Swift and will host the show “Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?” on Prime Video, which is scheduled to be released in October.

INJURY UPDATE: Wide receiver Hollywood Brown left the game after one play with a shoulder injury and undrafted rookie offensive lineman McKade Mettauer (knee) left the game in the fourth quarter.

Seven other players who entered the game with injuries – linebackers Nick Bolton (elbow) and Swayze Bozeman (knee), wide receiver Jaaron Hayek (shoulder), defensive tackle Chris Jones (groin), CB Kelvin Joseph (hamstring), S Justin Reid (quad) and WR Kadarius Toney (back) – were not part of the game.

Other players who were absent due to injury during the training camp were also absent.

Left guard Joe Thuney (chest), who missed Super Bowl LVIII due to a strained pectoral muscle, was not involved in the game, nor was backup left tackle Wanya Morris.

DT Derrick Nnadi, who battled a triceps injury in training camp, and two defensive backs – CB Nazeeh Johnson, who returns after missing last season with a torn ACL, and Jaylen Watson, who missed some time in training camp with a shoulder injury – also did not play in the season opener.

Justin Reid is on the non-football injured list along with defensive end BJ Thompson, who suffered cardiac arrest and an epileptic seizure during a team meeting in June.

Defensive end Charles Omenihu (knee), who tore his ACL in last season's playoffs, has been placed on the physically unable to perform list while he recovers from knee surgery.

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