The most surprising part of the NFL season so far is...Alex Smith and the Chiefs

All SB Nation NFL sites are working together to weigh in on their thoughts on the most surprising part of the young 2017 season thus far. It’d be easy for me to talk about the New Orleans Saints and their inability to convert in the red zone on Monday Night Football against the Vikings. One could also point out the fact that the team’s defense was what we were used to, so is that really a surprise?

Week 1 had a lot of surprises across the league, and for me I’d have to go with the Kansas City Chiefs spoiling the New England Patriots home opener. Hardly anyone gave Andy Reid’s team a chance, especially in ‘expert’ picks across the league.

If Sam Bradford’s performance was reminiscent of Joe Montana against the Saints, then Alex Smith was more like a combination of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. He could do no wrong, going 28-of-35 for 368 yards and 4 touchdowns. Matt Patricia’s defense had no answers for Smith, who was able to connect on some big deep balls - something we aren’t necessarily accustomed to seeing. At his absolute best, Smith’s best yards per game average was last year at 233.5 passing yards/game.

Some honorable mentions from Week 1: Tarik Cohen’s performance against the Falcons, the Texans losing to the Jaguars (the Jags defense in itself is a shock), the NFC West doesn’t look like the strong juggernaut they once were, and how bad Andy Dalton looked against the Ravens.

What was your biggest surprise of Week 1?