KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Alex Smith is finally getting his chance to start in the NFL again.    After getting hurt and then benched last season in San Francisco, Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs this past offseason. Now, Smith doesn’t have to look over his shoulder at guys like Colin Kaepernick nipping at his heels. He’s the unquestioned starter as the Chiefs head into their opener Sunday at Jacksonville.

It’ll be the first game that Smith has started since last Nov. 11, when he took the opening snaps in a 24-24 tie with St. Louis. It was in that game that Smith sustained a concussion, and when he was cleared to return two games later, Kaepernick had seized the starting job. Smith never started again during the 49ers’ NFC championship run.