Alex Smith has said that the Kansas City Chiefs must continue the momentum from their opening game of the pre-season.

The AFC West side, who had the worst record in the NFL last season, were narrowly beaten by the New Orleans Saints on Friday.

The quarterback told reporters: "We got off to a good start. It was a good first series. The first goal was to go out there and move the chains and then get some points. It was a 14-play drive, good mix of the run and pass, I thought we executed well.

"I thought the guys up front executed extremely well, I thought they set the tone for us in the run game and protection. They let us execute. We had some great tempo, but hey, this is just one step.

"It's just a little bit, but a confirmation as to where we are going. We are really looking to keeping the momentum going as we move through the pre-season and into the regular season."

The game for Smith's first for the Chiefs, having been acquired by the franchise in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers earlier this year.