PRO FOOTBALL : Kenney Dissects Saints With Eyes, Arm, 47-27

Bill Kenney had the New Orleans Saints looking the wrong way all day.

Kenney, looking one way and throwing the other, passed for 395 yards and 3 touchdowns Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Saints, 47-27, in the Superdome.

“I was able to look the linebackers off to the right and hit our receivers to the left,” Kenney said. “New Orleans says one thing: ‘Beat our two-deep stack.’ They stacked their cornerbacks and their safeties and we beat it.

“I was surprised--three plays, two passes and a touchdown. The offensive line did a great job. The backs did a great job and our receivers were excellent.”

Kenney’s eye fakes kept the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense for 1983 and 1984 off balance throughout the game.

Nick Lowery added four field goals for the Chiefs, falling one short of the team record set by Jan Stenerud 14 years ago.

Saint Coach Bum Phillips called it, “The worst opening day loss I’ve ever experienced. We got started on the wrong foot and we stayed there.”

Kenney’s first two pass plays covered 71 yards--40 to Henry Marshall on the second play of the game, then a 31-yard touchdown to Walt Arnold on the game’s third play.

His second touchdown pass came five minutes into the second quarter, a 37-yarder to Carlos Carson. He hit Carson again on a 15-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter after it appeared the Saints were going to make a game of it after all.

Carson had 8 receptions for 173 yards.

The Chiefs’ final touchdown came on a 19-yard run by Ethan Horton midway through the final quarter.

Lowery’s field goals came from 48 yards in the first quarter and two from 52 yards and one from 34 in the second quarter.

Herman Heard scored on a three-yard run in the third quarter.

Saint quarterback Dave Wilson, getting the first opening start in his four-year career, was was 2 for 22 for 30 yards and two interceptions in three quarters of play.

The Saints managed a 50-yard field goal by Morten Andersen, and that was it until the fourth quarter, when Richard Todd took over to engineer 24 points in 14 minutes.

Todd threw touchdown passes of five yards to Hoby Brenner, six yards to Wayne Wilson and 66 yards to Jeff Groth. Andersen added a 36-yard field goal.

Todd finished 14 of 27 for 162 yards and the 3 touchdowns in his 15 minutes of work, but it was 33-3 by the time he took over.

The Chiefs scored on seven of their first nine possessions.

Wilson’s only two completions came on the Saints’ first possession.

The Chiefs went into the game hoping to establish a running attack, but found they didn’t need it to control the ball. Heard led Kansas City rushers for 54 yards on 17 carries.

Tailback Earl Campbell had 47 yards on 11 carries for New Orleans.

Kevin Ross intercepted two passes for the Chiefs, one by Wilson and one by Todd.