KANSAS CITY, MO. – Alex Smith squirmed out of the pile in the end zone, got to his feet and let out a roar.
All it took was the largest comeback in the 56-year history of the Kansas City Chiefs for the stoic quarterback with the California cool to finally let some emotion show.
Smith threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns to rally his team from a three-touchdown hole, then scored on third-and-goal on the first possession of overtime for a heart-stopping 33-27 victory over the San Diego Chargers in their season opener Sunday.
"Lot of emotion at the end of the game," Smith said with a smile.
The Chiefs trailed 24-3 in the second half before mounting their charge, and it really kicked into gear when Smith hit Jeremy Maclin with a back-shoulder fade to get within 27-17 with nine minutes to go.
Cairo Santos added a 33-yard field goal a few minutes later. Then, after the Chiefs forced a three-and-out, Spencer Ware finished a four-play drive with a touchdown plunge to knot the score at 27.
It took Kansas City 10 plays to march 75 yards in overtime. Smith finished it with his plunge from the 2-yard line, keeping the ball rather than pitch when the smallest of creases opened.
"You're going to have games like this that show your character, show your grit," coach Andy Reid said. "I'm proud of the way they handled it. They had confidence in each other."
