KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Detroit Lions rallied for a 21-20 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs to ruin the Super Bowl champions' celebration on the NFL's opening night. Jared Goff threw for 253 yards and a touchdown while new Lions running back David Montgomery reached the end zone for the go-ahead score late in the game. Detroit then held the Chiefs on the next possession to put it away. Kansas City had won eight straight openers while the Lions had lost their last five. The Chiefs played without injured All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who is in a holdout.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs can look back at a slew of dropped passes and far too many penalties for a sputtering offense that led to a 21-20 loss to the Detroit Lions in their season opener Thursday night. Just about everybody who stepped on the field for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemed to drop a pass. The most costly was one that bounced off the hands of Kadarius Toney and was returned 50 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs also had a serious of drops in the final minutes, when they were trying to get within range of a winning field goal, and the drive ultimately stalled on fourth down. That allowed Detroit to run out the clock and snap a five-game losing streak in season openers.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow became the highest-paid player in the NFL when he agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension on Thursday. That's according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because it hadn't been announced. The person says the contract includes more than $219 million guaranteed. Burrow will be paid an average of $55 million per year. The deal was finalized three days before the Bengals' season opener at Cleveland. Burrow has led the Bengals to two straight AFC North titles and a Super Bowl two seasons ago. He set franchise single-season records for completions, pass attempts and passing touchdowns last year.
UNDATED (AP) — The CyHawk Game ratchets up the intensity of the Iowa and Iowa State fan bases every year. That will be no different on Saturday when the teams meet in Ames. Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be in attendance. The schools are also under scrutiny because of an illegal sports wagering investigation that has resulted in criminal charges and suspensions involving athletes from both schools. Fans of both teams expressed frustration their schools are the only ones known to be dealing with the fallout of a gambling scandal.
UNDATED (AP) — Eleventh-ranked Texas is already favored to win the Big 12 title in its farewell season. The Longhorns will become part of the College Football Playoff conversation if they win Saturday at third-ranked Alabama. The Crimson Tide escaped Austin with a one-point win last year in the first on-campus meeting between the traditional powers in 100 years. Also in the Big 12 this week, Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough goes against 13th-ranked Oregon. He was the Ducks starter when they won the Pac-12 championship game in 2020. Shough has since become only the fifth Texas Tech quarterback since 1980 to start three consecutive openers.
WACO, Texas (AP) — There was no way to know when 12th-ranked Utah’s first-ever game against Baylor was scheduled eight years ago that it would match future conference foes. Coach Kyle Whittingham still wants his 1-0 Utes focused on their final Pac-12 season despite some coincidental long-term scheduling that has them playing Saturday on the banks of the Brazos River in the heart of Texas. Whittingham isn't viewing this as a Big 12 preview trip even though Utah will be one of four Pac-12 teams moving to that conference next season. Baylor is coming off an upset loss at home to Texas State.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — No. 15 Kansas State hosts Troy on Saturday. The Wildcats will try to avoid repeating a non-conference letdown from last season, when it lost at home to Tulane. Kansas State opened the season with a 45-0 rout of Southeast Missouri State, while the Trojans are coming off a win over Stephen F. Austin. Kansas State rebounded from its loss to the Green Wave last year by beating TCU in the Big 12 championship game. The Wildcats will need to maintain their focus against the Trojans because they have a trip to former conference rival Missouri looming next week.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma is coming off a 73-0 opening win over Arkansas State. The Sooners outgained the Red Wolves 642 yards to 208 and didn't commit a turnover. It won’t matter if the 18th-ranked Sooners lay an egg against SMU. The Mustangs offer a significant jump in quality of competition. SMU will leave the American Athletic Conference for the Atlantic Coast Conference next year. The Mustangs wouldn’t mind beating a Power Five opponent ahead of the move.
UNDATED (AP) — Former Big East rivals Pittsburgh and Cincinnati meet for the first time in 11 years when the Panthers host the Bearcats. The game is the renewal of the “Rivery City Rivalry” between the two schools that ran from 2005-12. Both clubs are off to 1-0 starts after easy victories over FCS programs in their respective openers. Cincinnati QB Emory Jones threw for five touchdowns and ran for two more in a win over Eastern Kentucky. Jones will face a stiffer test against a Pitt defense that held Wofford to 126 total yards in Week 1.
ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit two of Atlanta’s five home runs, Matt Olson increased his major league-leading total to 47 and the Braves beat slumping Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals 8-5. Acuña raised his season total to 34 homers with his third multihomer game this season and the 12th of his big league career. Olson homered for his fourth straight game, and Michael Harris II and Travis d’Arnaud also went deep for Atlanta, which leads second-place Philadelphia by 14 games in the NL East. Max Fried (7-1) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings.
THURSDAY SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Seattle 1 Tampa Bay 0
Final Detroit 10 N.Y. Yankees 3
Final L.A. Angels 3 Cleveland 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final L.A. Dodgers 10 Miami 0
Final Atlanta 8 St. Louis 5
Final Arizona 6 Chicago Cubs 2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE