National Football League

Chiefs, Steelers make Week 1 statements in competitive AFC race

Updated Sep. 13, 2021 3:12 p.m. ET

By Geoff Schwartz
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Sure, we're only one week in, but the first NFL Sunday shed a lot of light on what the race might look like in the highly competitive AFC.

In Orchard Park, New York, and Kansas City, we had two games featuring four teams that should be in the fight for the conference's top seed.

What did we learn in the AFC after Week 1?

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs played a championship-caliber second half in their 33-29 victory over the Browns on Sunday.

Kansas City was down 22-10 at halftime, and the game didn’t feel that close. Cleveland controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides, and head coach/playcaller Kevin Stefanski kept the Chiefs' defense guessing.

The Chiefs scored on their first second-half possession and never looked back. The Browns turned the ball over three times, including a botched punt, and the Chiefs outscored Cleveland 23-7 in the second half.

The defending AFC champions were breaking in a new offensive line against a formidable Browns pass rush. The Chiefs were without multiple defensive starters, including the heart and soul of that squad in safety Tyrann Mathieu.

It wasn’t pretty, but this is what the great teams do. They win. And all Patrick Mahomes has done in September during his career is win, with this victory moving the Chiefs' quarterback to 11-0 all time in the first month.

This victory feels like it counts twice, as the Chiefs now own the tie-breaker against the Browns for the top seed and coveted bye week.

K.C. still needs to work on its red-zone offense, which gets too cute at times. However, once the offensive line jels more, the Chiefs should improve in that area of the field.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns did almost everything right Sunday. They outsmarted the Chiefs with their offensive formations and schemes. Baker Mayfield completed passes he’d never shown before. They controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the day. The defense limited the Chiefs' touchdowns in the red zone.

Stefanski was aggressive in the right spots, including on a fourth down that led to an early touchdown and a subsequent two-point conversion after the Chiefs jumped offside on the point-after attempt.

In the end, it still wasn’t enough.

The Browns fumbled, they dropped a long snap on a punt, and Mayfield threw a terrible interception to end the game. Yes, maybe he was trying to throw it away, but do the top five quarterbacks in the league throw that interception?

No.

This is a great example of why I believe the Browns are a 13-win team that won’t beat the Chiefs come January. They are good, but Mayfield is 0-2 on potential game-winning drives at Arrowhead Stadium in their past two games. That’s not good enough to win the conference.

However, I am looking forward to their rematch in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are exactly what we thought they’d be: excellent on defense.

Pittsburgh used a ferocious pass rush to harass Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen the entire game. Allen averaged only 4.7 yards per completion, far below the NFL average.

The Steelers also blocked a punt for a touchdown as they took over the game in the second half after trailing 10-0 at the break.

Offensively, they are the same.

Their rebuilt offensive line featured young guys at left tackle, left guard and center, plus a right tackle in his second year as a full-time starter. The offense was uneven, with nothing looking in rhythm.

Rookie running back Najee Harris had 16 carries for 45 yards, hardly the production the team wants from its first-round pick. Big Ben was 18-for-32 for 188 yards, and the offense had only 16 first downs.

This is not an offense that’s sustainable throughout the season. This was my fear with Roethlisberger this season, and nothing this weekend made me change my opinion on the Steelers' chances to contend for the AFC title.

Buffalo Bills

The most surprising part of this game was that the Bills didn’t look crisp, which is what they normally are under coach Sean McDermott.

I do not think it’s something to worry about, as they won’t see the Steelers' pass rush the rest of the season. The Bills' defense showed more potential at attacking the opposing quarterback, which is something they lacked last season.

This loss is not something the Bills should fret about. They go to Miami this weekend, and if they struggle on offense again, we will have a different chat.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers had the best day that no one will talk about because they are the Chargers.

For starters, L.A. won a one-score game, which is something it struggled to do in recent years. Also, it was a 10 a.m. PT kickoff, which West Coast teams often struggle with.

The Chargers' starters mostly sat all preseason, so there was presumed rust. This was the first time second-year QB Justin Herbert played with crowd noise. But with Brandon Staley running the ship now, L.A. looked more buttoned up and didn’t make the silly mistakes that have plagued it in the past.

Herbert looked fantastic against a tough and disciplined Washington defense, going 13-for-16 on third down for 160 yards, 11 first downs and a touchdown.

The Chargers reworked their offensive line, and rookie left tackle Rashawn Slater was as advertised. Herbert was clean most of the game. On defense, the Chargers limited Washington to 15 first downs and 30% conversion on third down.

Houston Texans

STOP THE COUNT!

The Texans are leading the AFC South, with the rest of the division losing in Week 1.

That’s it.

Start planning the parade in Houston.

Geoff Schwartz played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. He is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.