The Sports Xchange

HOUSTON — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith nodded approvingly when asked to recount the early rhythm he helped establish offensively, a task made easier when the Chiefs twice were gifted excellent field position.

Smith passed for 243 yards and three touchdowns and Kansas City took immediate advantage of two critical Houston turnovers in its 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium.

The Chiefs (1-0) converted both turnovers inside the Houston 15-yard line into touchdowns, including an interception by rookie cornerback Marcus Peters on the Texans’ first offensive snap. With 5:01 left in the first half, Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston forced a fumble with his sack of Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer that defensive end Allen Bailey recovered. Kansas City scored on the ensuing snap for a 27-6 lead.

Smith followed both turnovers with scoring strikes, finding tight end Travis Kelce with a 10-yard pass after Peters’ interception for a 7-0 lead with 10:22 left in the first quarter. Smith hit running back Jamaal Charles for a 7-yard touchdown pass after the Bailey fumble recovery.

“It was nice to get off to a start like that; you never expect it,” Smith said. “You can’t anticipate that. Luckily we got the opportunities and took advantage.

“When you get those situations — we had good field position and got the couple turnovers in the red zone and were able to capitalize. I think, in the end, that was the difference.”

Kelce added a 42-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown later in the first quarter after a Texans (0-1) drive stalled near midfield. Chiefs kicker Dustin Colquitt chipped in a pair of field goals before the Charles scoring grab, just enough scoring to bolster the Chiefs’ ferocious defense.

What we learned about the Texans:

1. The Texans are right back where they started in their quarterback competition. Brian Hoyer, who beat out Ryan Mallett during the preseason, was scattershot under duress, passing for 236 yards while tossing an interception and committing a fumble, with both turnovers converted into touchdowns. Mallett entered with 6:10 remaining in the fourth quarter and engineered two scoring drives. He also opened the door for Texans coach Bill O’Brien to revisit the decision he made to name Hoyer the starter before the third preseason game. “I’m going to prepare every week like the starter, whether that’s the case or not,” Mallett said. “That’s the only thing I can do to help this football team win games.”

2. Outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney made a modestly triumphant return to action, finishing with four tackles, including one for lost yardage, in his first game after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee last December. Clowney, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2014 draft, struggled through an injury-marred rookie season, playing in just four games while dealing with a concussion, a sports hernia and knee woes. “It felt great to be out there with my teammates having fun,” Clowney said. “They limited my reps, so it was just getting the feel of the game and having fun.”

3. The depth at receiver just might pay dividends with the right quarterback under center. DeAndre Hopkins, who supplanted Andre Johnson as the No. 1 receiver last season, finished with nine receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns, while offseason acquisitions Nate Washington (six catches, 105 yards) and Cecil Shorts (four receptions, 57 yards) delivered. “I think Nate and Cecil did a great job,” Hopkins said. “Mumph (rookie Keith Mumphery) came in and made some plays as well.”

Etc.

–DE J.J. Watt tied his career high with six tackles for loss, matching his total from Dec. 16, 2012, against the Colts. Watt finished with nine tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hits. It marked his 18th multi-sack game, the most in the NFL since the start of the 2011 season.

–WR Nate Washington caught six passes for a team-high 105 yards, the 10th 100-yard receiving game of his career. Washington extended his streak of consecutive games played to 145, which leads all active NFL wide receivers.

–WR DeAndre Hopkins scored 14 total points (two receiving touchdowns, one two-point conversion), which is the second-highest single-game total by a wide receiver in team history. Hopkins passed RB Arian Foster (2,041) for the fourth-most career receiving yards in team history. He finished the day with nine catches for 98 yards.