KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Spencer Ware sprinted to the corner and saw daylight. The running back narrowed his focus, jumped toward the end zone and stretched his arms toward the bright orange pylon.
Touchdown, the official ruled.
And for an instant on Sunday, the New York Jets seemed done. The touchdown, which came midway through the third quarter of the Chiefs' 24-3 victory at Arrowhead Stadium, would have extended the Chiefs' lead to 21 as they continued to cruise toward what appeared to be an easy win over a largely lifeless (and ultimately, turnover-prone) Jets team.
But things are never easy in the NFL, especially when the officials get involved. So when the referee headed to the replay booth to review the play, you could almost predict what happened next: Not only was the touchdown overruled, it was ruled a fumble that went out of bounds and thus, a touchback.
Jets ball. Momentum gone.
Fortunately for the normally sure-handed Ware, who ran 20 times for 75 yards but fumbled for the second time in two weeks, his third-quarter fumble would pale in comparison to overall carelessness of the Jets, who committed a ridiculous eight turnovers in the loss to drop to 1-2.
New York, predictably, marched the ball down the field on its ensuing drive, but on a second-and-goal from the 5, Chiefs safety Eric Berry _ who had just broken up a floater in the end zone _ hauled in a deflected pass off inside linebacker Derrick Johnson to keep the Jets at arm's length.
It would not be the last time the Chiefs' defense was there to save the day, either. Far from it.
Because when the Chiefs failed to score on the ensuing drive _ Ware's fourth-and-inches attempt at the Jets' 39 was snuffed out by a strong defensive front _ the defense again rose to the occasion.
The Jets, emboldened again with new life, proceeded to march to the Chiefs' 6, aided by three third-down conversions (including an iffy pass-interference penalty on cornerback Phillip Gaines). But on a second-and-6, cornerback Marcus Peters hauled in his second interception of the game _ this time on a tipped pass by fellow cornerback Steven Nelson _ and thwarted the drive.
The Chiefs' offense failed to do anything with the ball, but the Jets, who had committed five turnovers by that point _ were essentially done after that, as several more drives proved fruitless, thanks to interceptions by cornerback D.J. White, safety Daniel Sorensen and Johnson.
Johnson returned his 55 yards for a touchdown that made the score 24-3 late in the fourth quarter and essentially iced the game.
Interestingly, the Chiefs set the tone for the game from the get-go, as Peters also set up the Chiefs' first score in the first quarter. That's when he jumped a route in front of Jets receiver Jalin Marshall to pick off Fitzpatrick, who was harassed into a miserable 20-for-44, 188-yard and six-interception performance.
The pick gave the Chiefs the ball at the Jets' 35-yard line, and Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith _ who completed 25 of 33 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown _ made them pay, as he promptly put together a four-play scoring drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown throw to tight end Travis Kelce (six catches, 89 yards) on a crossing pattern.
The Chiefs took that 7-0 lead into the second quarter, and were set up for another score when Jets running back Bilal Powell fumbled on third down near midfield, which was recovered by rookie safety Eric Murray.
The Chiefs mounted another scoring drive, albeit one that stalled out near the goal line, and were forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal that put them ahead by 10 midway through the quarter.
But the score would not remain that way for long, as the Jets continued to shoot themselves in the foot. Marshall fumbled the ensuing kickoff return _ Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman and outside linebacker Dezman Moses were part of a contingent that poked it out _ and tight end Demetrius Harris scooped by the ball, which bounced right to him, and rumbled 27 yards for a score that put the Chiefs ahead 17-0 with 6 minutes left.
The Jets responded with a nine-play scoring drive that stalled out at the Chiefs' 10-yard line, as the defense stiffed up and forced the Jets to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Nick Folk.
The Chiefs, who led 17-3, got the ball at their own 16 with 2 minutes left. They threw the ball on six of seven plays on the ensuing drive, but failed to advance past their own 40 yard line as they ended up taking a 14-point lead into the break.
The second half would bring some wacky occurrences, including the Chiefs touchdown that suddenly wasn't.
But on a day where the turnover-prone Jets simply couldn't get out of their own way, the Chiefs _ led by an opportunistic defense _ were all too willing to oblige as they improved to 2-1 heading into their Sunday night showdown with Pittsburgh.
