It wasn't as bad as some people want to make it...on the other hand, it wasn't good, either.
Some random thoughts follow:

Simple math says:
Only 3 WRs + Refs not calling interference when its against TG + starting MLB prepping less than 3 weeks for game = only a 10 point loss *in Denver*. That ain't bad, and I never expected them to go 16-0; this was chalked up as one probable loss even before the season started.

Then again, as Jason Whitlock said,

Sunday night, with the Chiefs battling their AFC West rival Denver in the season opener, Vermeil punted the ball away trailing by three points while facing fourth and a long 2 at the Denver 46 with 9 minutes, 31 seconds to play.

It was a no-brainer decision. The Chiefs ran off their old defensive coordinator, Greg Robinson, and hired Gunther Cunningham exactly for this situation. Gunther was rehired because he's supposed to be an expert at getting one last stop.

New punter Steve Cheek executed perfectly, booting the ball high, which forced Rod Smith to fair catch at the Denver 13.

There is no way we should have a +2 turnover ratio and still lose by 10 points. So it hurts to have the game winnable, and still lose by 10.

However, the bottom line is that Kansas City went into a very tough place to play and played a respectable game. No coach is perfect, and no coach can be guaranteed to stop the defense every time. Greg Robinson's problem was that he failed multiple times over three season, not that he failed in one game against a team very motivated to beat the Chiefs at home. One game does not make a season, and one series does not measure the quality and importance of a coach.

Let's look at some of the good points:
1) Monty Biesel played a darn good game. His name was called for at least two good plays. He had less than 3 weeks preparation to start, but it is entirely possible he won't let himself be replaced for the rest of the season. Compare that to Safety John Lynch, who had his name called twice...once for getting burned, once for a cheap shot.
2) Junior Siavii (who will hereby be known by the nickname "No Significant Addition") had an impact with an overpowering move for a sack in extremely limited playing time. Expect his role to increase significantly over the season. He'll make a few pro bowls before the end of his career* if he keeps this up.
3) Lawrence Tynes proved why it was necessary to cut Morton Anderson. Without him, we'd never have tied the game. Steve Cheek also punted better than Jason Baker every did.
4) Good plays, in general, by the defense. Two breakdowns led to two long scoring runs by Griffin. And yet, Denver's defense gave up a long scoring run to Priest Holmes and three total. He was supposed to be over the hill and washed up, so if KC's defense stinks, Denver's stinks just as badly. Besides, Priest's durability is proven..I wonder if Griffin will even be around at the end of the season for the rematch? Seeing what Denver did with all the advantages, I figure KC will win easily by a far larger margin in KC.

Other points:
1) I admit it was a bad call on Kennison's fumble. Then again, the fumble itself was caused by an illegal blow to the helmet with both hands. Which raises an interesting question: if a turnover occurs only because of an illegal and dirty play, does that nullify the turnover? I'm thinking it probably doesn't, but somehow that doesn't seem right. So in the end, I think the result was probably right: Denver doesn't get flagged or have a player ejected for a flagrant foul, but they also don't get rewarded for vicious and unsportsmanlike playing.
2) The refs were extremely horrible in not calling pass interference on the people covering Tony Gonzales. According to the pregame show with Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw, blocking with the arm is supposed to be illegal. On the "great" play by Champ Bailey, he chucked/blocked TG with his forearm several times, affecting his route. Which is fine; KC will adjust and will still win 12 games this year. But I am a little disappointed that the league made such a big deal saying they would enforce this rule, and on at least 5 separate occasions, let TG get mugged horribly. With KC's depleted WR corps, this directly resulted in reducing their role, and was the most significant factor affecting the game. If it had been called, at least 3 KC series would have been extended, and they would have been forced to play looser, opening things up for the passing game.
3) Quentin Griffin is going to be a Barry Sanders-type player, running up gaudy numbers on a few long runs while being stuffed numerous other times, putting his team in lots of 3rd-and-longs. If he's not injured by the end of the season, it will be because he's benched for overall ineffectiveness or reduced to specific run packages designed to try and break a long one.
4) Denver's secondary is excellent. Champ Bailey plus the development of their 3rd CB puts them in good shape there. I'm less impressed with their LB corps, and their line seems sub-par.
5) Despite the development of the defense (and only a blind man or a fool could say KC's defense hasn't significantly improved), the final analysis of the defense will come down to one thing: when you need a stop, do you get it? From this perspective, KC is still stuck in neutral. I expect they will break out of this problem and be a darn good defense, but I admit I'm only about 80% sure. It's one of those things where anyone who tells you they know is just bragging or lying, because we'll have to wait and see how the season progresses.
Did anyone have the New England Patriots penciled in for the Super Bowl victors after last year's season-opening humiliation at Buffalo? Probably not....so if the situation is analagous, I'll be pleased.
6) We really need to get Richard Smith's speed into the game, and we really need Samie Parker to return from his injury. Mitchell would be nice, but Biesel seems to be doing fine. The best part of getting Mitchell back will be so we can cut Fred Jones and add another WR for depth...

Bottom Line on interesting thoughts: I suspect that Denver has oriented their team to beat the KC Chiefs, but has other weaknesses that will be exposed by other teams. Denver's homefield advantage is probably good for 7 wins, but they will have a tough time on the road, rusulting in a 9-7 or 10-6 record. Kansas City, on the other hand, seems to be oriented to beat several teams. We could have engineered ourselves to stop the bootlegs and a shifty RB, but then we'd do worse against teams like Carolina, Indy, SD, and Oakland. As a result, we'll lose a few more games against other darn good teams based on who executes the best, but we'll win all of our home games and split away games for a 12-4 record, homefield advantage, and a trip to the SuperBowl....as long as we improve our WR execution and avoid significant injuries. That could be said for half a dozen teams. We'll see how it turns out.

*I originally had "by the end of the season" in an obvious brain-fart. I do think he'll have 6-8 sacks by the end of the season, but the point is, he's coming along fine and should have an excellent career.