The Chiefs’ younger players have a solid game, but Kansas City falls to the Bears 19-14.
Well, a 14-19 loss to the Chicago Bears isn’t what the Kingdom wasn’t expecting, but there were flashes of what this team is capable of.
The first team offense only played on drive together in the first quarter and they had a solid drive that ended in a touchdown to Blake Bell. Mahomes was his usual self, going 6/7 for 60 yards on the first drive, and then the Chiefs made sure to sit him down, not wanting to risk injury.
The Chiefs’ defensive starters were very impressive: a slimmed-down Frank Clark was quicker than ever, Juan Thornhill, Tershawn Wharton, and Mike Danna all came up with big tackles on the drive. Willie Gay and Danna were able to force Justin Fields to throw the ball away, leading to the second punt of the game, which effectively ended the starters’ reps.
Only halfway through the first quarter, the starters were out of the ball game and the rookies and backups took over. Which is what Head Coach Andy Reid wanted.
“Yeah, I like what I see,” Reid said. “We’re making progress, we’re getting better every day. I like the way the defense is coming along. They got the majority of the young guys in that group. I like the offense and the (competition) there with the new players and a couple of the young guys. I like that. I’m curious to see how the young guys do in games. I’ve seen the older guys play before, but I want to see those younger guys (and) see what they can do.”
Well needless to say that the rookies showed up. George Karlaftis came into the game with a lot to prove and had a strong showing against Chicago. Karlaftis brought his motor early to the game, getting his first professional sack by never giving up on this play.
Moore didn’t have the best game in his first NFL action, but healso had an impact on this game finishing his day with three receptions for 23 yards and a spectacular reception in the first half, dragging his toes along the sideline.
Leo Chenal didn’t get a lot of meaningful reps with the first team, but showed to be one of the leaders of the second team, finishing the day with seven tackles and two tackles for loss.
While they started their second offensive drive, Isiah Pacheco, Daurice Fountain (three receptions and 24 yards receiving) and Justin Watson got a chance to make their mark on the game. The offense was different with Shane Buechele behind center, but the wide receiver room had a good day all around.
One surprise though… Did the Kansas City Chiefs find Butker’s backup? Well, Justin Reid, their new safety just proved he was pretty versatile and could be used in an emergency to kick an extra point in case anything would happen to Harrison Butker.
The team is still trying to figure out the lineups and rotations at certain positions, but it was a solid look at how effective the defense is going to be and how efficient the offense is going to be. The Chiefs play their next preseason game against the Washington Commanders on August 20th in Arrowhead.
