Chiefs to try to spoil Pats’ Super Bowl party
Police investigate Bennett incident
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots are set to kick off another season in the afterglow of a Super Bowl title.
Seven months after completing the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, the Patriots will raise the franchise’s fifth championship banner prior to today’s season opener against Kansas City (6:30 p.m., NBC).
It’s what’s come to be a familiar sight since Bill Belichick and Tom Brady captured their first Lombardi Trophy together in the 2001 season.
Trying to spoil this latest party will be a Kansas City team that has been chasing its own postchampionship commemoration since the franchise won its lone Super Bowl in January 1970.
The Chiefs were the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs last season before their postseason run was truncated by an 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh in the divisional round.
The Patriots are 4-0 in season openers following a Super Bowl win but have vast respect for a Kansas City team that has been responsible for some sour Patriots memories during the Belichick-Brady era.
The previous time Brady opened a season at home against the Chiefs in 2008, it ended with him limping off the field with a season-ending knee injury. Then in 2014, Kansas City flatly embarrassed New England 41-14 in Arrowhead Stadium.
“We’ve always had great battles with them,” Belichick said.
The matchup will be an early glimpse of how formidable the Patriots are after only losing a few pieces off last season’s roster. They will reveal a new-look running game after not re-signing LeGarrette Blount, last season’s rushing touchdowns leader. In addition, receiver Julian Edelman is out for the season following a preseason knee injury. And on defense they’re without a dedicated edge rusher with Chris Long leaving in free agency and Rob Ninkovich retiring.
The Chiefs planned to use Spencer Ware and Kareem Hunt in tandem at running back, but Ware went down with a seasonending injury in a preseason game at Seattle. So it’s up to Hunt, a third-round draft pick, to carry the load.
Chiefs QB Alex Smith is 9-0 in regular-season games against AFC East, beating Patriots in their only meeting.
SEAHAWKS: Defensive end Michael Bennett accused Las Vegas, Nev., police on Wednesday of racially motivated excessive force, saying he was threatened at gunpoint and handcuffed following a report of gunshots at an after-hours club at a casino-hotel.
Police say that Bennett failed to stop for officers searching a crowded casino for what they believed to be an active shooter just hours after the Aug. 26 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor.
“I believe this case will become completely clear as all the available video is reviewed for evidentiary purposes,” Clark County Undersheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters. GAME POSTPONED: The Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open the season with a hurricane-imposed bye. Their opener scheduled for Sunday at Miami was postponed by the NFL until Nov. 19 because of Hurricane Irma.