KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The big question coming into the night was how the Chiefs would fare without a pair of superstars.

Future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce was ruled out before the opener with a bone bruise on his right knee. All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, meanwhile, attended the game in a suite while continuing to hold out while seeking a contract extension.

So how did the Chiefs do without them? Not quite well enough in a 21-20 home loss over the Detroit Lions in the NFL Kickoff on Thursday night.

The defense held up its end better than the offense. The Chiefs mostly subbed their way to success, as defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo mixed things up with various blitz packages.

Some individuals stood out as well. Mike Danna had a sack. First-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah constantly pressured Lions quarterback Jared Goff on dropbacks.

The secondary had strong moments as well. That group was paced by second-year player Trent McDuffie, who was sure in his tackling while also forcing a red-zone turnover, putting his helmet on the ball during a Marvin Jones reception to pop it out before safety Bryan Cook recovered.

Detroit’s offensive line wore down KC late, though. That showed itself most on the Lions’ fourth-quarter touchdown drive to take a 21-20 lead, as David Montgomery completed a punch-you-in-the-mouth possession with an eight-yard touchdown run.

KC’s offense looked less like its usual self while dealing with Kelce’s absence.

The Chiefs struggled to run the ball effectively, which put pressure on Patrick Mahomes and the passing game. And though the quarterback engineered a pair of long scoring drives in the first half — 82 and 75 yards — the Chiefs needed him to produce more in the second half after a pass bounced off the hands of Kadarius Toney to the Lions’ Brian Branch for a 50-yard pick-six that tied the score at 14.

That never came together in the second half.

The Chiefs’ offensive line was excellent most of the night with pass blocking, but too often, Mahomes couldn’t find open receivers. That, or his teammates dropped the ball.

Mahomes’ last gasp at pulling out a miracle ended fittingly. On fourth-and-25 with 2:09 left, he escaped the pocket and threw a ball up for grabs that Skyy Moore jumped for but couldn’t pull down, despite getting two hands on the pass.

KC’s final five possessions went punt, field goal, field goal, punt and turnover on downs, as the offense couldn’t produce a game-winning drive in the opener.

The Chiefs (0-1) will play at the Jacksonville Jaguars at noon Central on Sunday, Sept. 17.