The pre-season is officially over and the Kansas City Chiefs are less than two weeks away from kicking off the regular season. Here are three stand-out plays from the third and final pre-season game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Mahomes deep ball to Hill
The NFL’s most dangerous duo looked locked in early in the game.
This play capped off an impressive five-play 79-yard opening drive for the starters. This 35-yard strike showed the arm strength and accuracy of Mahomes, but also the jaw-dropping play-making ability of Tyreek Hill. The entire offense looked sharp both drives that they were on the field, scoring on both drives, but it is nice to see Mahomes and Hill in midseason form. This is what keeps defensive coordinators awake at night, and with a clean pocket, makes the throw from Mahomes look effortless.
L’Jarius Sneed is poised for more success
After a very strong 2020 rookie campaign, it looks like L’Jarius Sneed is going to continue to grow into a game-changer for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs have had some questions at the cornerback spot heading into the season, but no one has questioned Sneed, who will look to continue to grow into one of the best slot defenders in the game. The play above shows his combination of physicality and ball skills. When the WR cuts in, Sneed is able to go step for step, and then we see his timing as he perfectly knocks the ball out. An impact play on third down and goal, that stopped a drive and held the Vikings to a field goal. 2021 could be a massive year for Sneed.
So close…
When I posted the below clip to Twitter I was confident that Tim Ward was set to make the active roster to start the season. Unfortunately, he did not, but this was still a great play.
Ward had been on the practice squad for a couple of seasons, and it looked like this would be his year to make the active roster, especially after his strong pre-season showing. Things were just not meant to be, for the time being.
Ward was put on waivers and will have to clear them for the Chiefs to have another shot at bringing him back onto the practice squad. That will give 31 other teams a chance to pick him up, and as much as I would like to see Ward make the roster in KC, I have a hard time believing he will clear waivers and be allowed to come back to the Chiefs as a free agent. Three sacks and a forced fumble in three pre-season games will be enough to give him a shot to get picked up. We hope to see Ward back in KC, it feels like he will be on another roster to start out the 2021 season.
