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KANSAS CITY, Mo. —The first two interceptions of Brandon Flowers' NFL career came on passes from Brett Favre. For good measure, he returned one of them 91 yards for a touchdown.
Perhaps because he started his career that way, the Chiefs cornerback no longer finds it a big event to be defending passes from a future Hall of Fame quarterback.
"I guess I don't get amped up for any specific quarterback," said Flowers, who ranks third in the AFC with four interceptions. "I try to approach it like any other game. If you get too fired up, you're going to try to do too much and want to make too many plays."
That attitude may serve Flowers well over the next few weeks.
Over their past several games, the Chiefs have faced a series of young or struggling quarterbacks. San Diego's Philip Rivers leads the league in interceptions. Miami's Matt Moore and Indianapolis' Curtis Painter are among the NFL's lowest- rated passers. Donovan McNabb of Minnesota and Kyle Boller of Oakland have since been benched. And though Tim Tebow keeps winning with the Broncos, he completed just two passes against the Chiefs.
The level of competition stiffens starting Monday night against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Brady trails only Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers in passer rating, completions, yards and touchdowns.
Subsequent games have the Chiefs facing Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, Chicago's Jay Cutler and Rodgers — a gauntlet that's sure to test the Chiefs' secondary. Adding to the challenge, Flowers and Carr both appeared on the Chiefs' injury report this week. Each was a limited participant in practice, Flowers because of a sore back and Carr with an ankle injury.
"I'm very comfortable with this secondary and this defense as long as we play fundamentally," Flowers said. "But if we blow some coverages, these guys will make you look silly. As long as we don't do that, I feel we'll be ready for anything."
Flowers and Brandon Carr, the team's other starting cornerback, have yielded some big plays this season. Both expressed frustration on Twitter after last week's loss to Denver in response to critical comments from fans.
"They're just being fans," Carr said. "They want to win so much they let their emotions get in the way. You can expect that kind of stuff after every game. It comes with the territory."
Flowers, Carr and their teammates have been placed in some difficult situations in pass coverage. The Chiefs haven't created consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. They're last in the league with nine sacks, four fewer than the next closest team.
The Chiefs' cornerbacks have also made their share of plays. Flowers has four interceptions, Carr two, and on the whole, the team remains among the league's leaders with 13.
The Chiefs had six interceptions in last month's shutout at Oakland. Flowers had two that day, taking one back for a 58-yard touchdown, and Carr added one. Games like that are the reason the Chiefs signed Flowers to a long-term contract extension early in the season and were trying for a similar deal with Carr.
"They just watch tape, watch their opponent," coach Todd Haley said. "You hear them talking about (uniform numbers of opposing receivers) and who each guy is and what they do. I've seen them enough and I've walked in and sat down when we have limited space in hotels and you get an idea that they're completely focused on their job and what they need to do to help this team. That's exciting, exciting stuff."
The Chiefs drafted Flowers and Carr in 2008, and the first game of their NFL careers came against Brady and the Patriots in New England. Brady was knocked out of that game with a season-ending knee injury after throwing just 11 passes.
Flowers said his memory of those passes is vivid.
"He was just so poised, so smart," Flowers said. "He always kept his eyes downfield. That makes it hard for a defensive back when the quarterback isn't worried about the rush."
Carr is inspired by the thought of playing against a future Hall of Famer Monday night.
"You look at him every Sunday and he's tearing apart defenses," Carr said. "Just for a defensive back to get your hands on one of his passes and get an interception, that would look good."
