Chiefs share highlights of Alex Smith-led comeback win against Chargers in 2016

The Chiefs appeared to be laying an egg during their season opener in 2016 but instead pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the franchise history.

With five minutes to play in the third quarter, the Chargers held a three-touchdown lead and the Chiefs had just three points.

But the Chiefs scored on five of their next six drives, including a 2-yard run by quarterback Alex Smith in overtime to win the game, 33-27. Smith celebrated by removing his helmet and roared his approval, making for an iconic image.

After throwing a fourth-quarter interception, Smith completed 17 of 23 passes for 171 yards with two touchdown passes and the rushing score.

In the locker room, coach Andy Reid had Smith give the final huddle break down and the players thundered their approval, as Terez A. Paylor recounted in his game story for The Star.

“You saw the love for him when he came in — that was obvious,” Reid said a day after the win. “They’re happy for him.”

Smith on Monday announced his retirement from the NFL and the Chiefs shared a video of that amazing comeback victory:

This is an excerpt from Paylor’s game story on the victory:

“It’s just one out of 16,” Reid said. “That first game can be overrated a little bit, right? There’s a lot of hype that goes into the first game of the season. There’s 15 more that are left.”

Reid then paused for a split second.

“But I will tell you,” he said with a slight grin, “this doesn’t hurt you, for sure.”

The Chiefs ended the season with a 12-4 record and won the AFC West division over the Raiders on a tie-breaker.