Real bolts of lightning flashed across the sky. Yellow, painted bolts of it were always present on the Chargers' helmets. And these Chiefs fans, nearly all of the 71,297 in Arrowhead Stadium, created their own deafening streaks of stomps and yells.

But it was the Chiefs who zapped everything hardest.

Their combination of speed, quickness and aggressive play sliced the Chargers, 21-14, in the first Monday night game in Arrowhead Stadium in six years, and the first one since this place was rebuilt, refurbished, refreshed.

It was hardly recognizable.

Just like the Chiefs.

Whenever you see three different players make plays like a touchdown run of 56 yards, a scoring punt return of 94 yards and another explosive punt return for 30 yards in the manner that Jamaal Charles, Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas did, respectively -- think fast, very fast, as in a blur, as in three bolts -- then, well, you've seen something special. The Chiefs are faster, quicker and apparently distanced from the 4-12 bunch from last year. They outran the Chargers. That is hard to do. If little else, the Chargers have been one of the league's most athletic, quicker teams in recent seasons en route to dominating the AFC West. That is also the division where the Chiefs reside.

The Chargers ran laps around Kansas City last season, scoring 37 points in one pasting and then 43 points in the other.

But these Chiefs, a bolt of red on this night, proved they have become faster, quicker, more athletic. They ran past the Chargers defense and then presented a swift and physical defense of their own that denied the Chargers on four downs in the final seconds, two Chargers plays from the Kansas City 4 and two more from the Kansas City 6.

They did this in a game partly played in a downpour on a slick and soaked field.

Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli and coach Todd Haley have worked to build this roster.

Only two seasons in, both see a bolt here, a bolt there. And a huge strike on this night.

Out in front of the stadium stood a towering statue of Chiefs founder and owner, the late Lamar Hunt. A touching, splendid monument to a man whose passion and creativity, not only to the Chiefs but to the NFL game, endures. Inside this stadium were fans who grew up with this franchise, who care about it and have long made it a fabric of their lives.

You could sense their pride in their revamped stadium. And the pleasant shock mixed with that pride over their team's 2010 debut. New building, new effort. A bolt of red.

"I lived through something like this growing up in Pittsburgh and having the opportunity to see a franchise that had been dead for awhile begin to come alive,'' Haley said. "This is a prideful town. We've tried to build a team that respects that from Day One. One that has quickness and talent and earns their trust, the veteran guys and the young guys alike. This was an exciting step for us to take.''

To run past the Chargers.

Pioli said that each of his seven draft picks from last April was, at one point, the captain of his college team. He has built this team with leadership in mind. With speed as a boost. He said no matter how many sprints a team runs, it's either fast or it isn't. The Chiefs have some wheels.

They also exhibited toughness. Haley said his team has "some guys who can run, hit and play to the whistle.'' He said it is not all fancy or nice. Not here. It's a team that has some fight in it.

A standout player for the Chiefs in those areas against the Chargers was linebacker Derrick Johnson. He was a consistent force in the heart of the Chiefs defense. His ability to make one-on-one tackles in the open field was particularly impressive. On this night, he made plays that were reminiscent of the late, great, Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas.

"I will never say that,'' Johnson said. "I will never take that credit. But I aspire to get to that level. We are learning how to win the close ones. We have been showing in training camp and in the preseason that we were capable of this. Now to keep it going.''

The Chiefs are 1-0. They have a distance to go to prove they are a consistent force.

But for a night, at least, they showed they have the wheels to get there. McCluster's 94-yard punt return for a score became the longest in Chiefs history -- nice bolt for a rookie. It was part of a team-record 160 total punt return yards.

"I think we're becoming a new team with a new attitude,'' McCluster said. 

The only team in the AFC West that won their opening game. The first-place Chiefs.

A timely bolt of red.