Resting many of their top players, the Kansas City Chiefs lost their second preseason game, recording a 33-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Friday night. Let’s get into some instant takeaways.
Starters like defensive tackle Chris Jones, linebackers Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill and cornerback Trent McDuffie all remained on the sidelines.
The impact of their absence seemed seismic.
Utilizing backup running backs Zach Charbonnet, George Holani and David Martinez, the Seahawks gashed the Chiefs’ defensive front for 114 yards on 11 carries in the first quarter — more than 10 yards a carry. Seattle scored touchdowns on its first two drives thanks to the horrendous run defense.
Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has often talked about Bolton’s importance, noting that he can see the opposing offense and make the right checks at the right time. There may be no better example of this than… well… whatever it was that we saw early in Friday night’s matchup.
Before leaving for Seattle, head coach Andy Reid hinted that the resting players may suit up for the final preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium next Friday. It has to look better than that.
Should the offensive line battle shift to left guard?
As expected, Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce did not play on Friday night. But neither did right tackle Jawaan Taylor — and the reason for that is unclear.
Taylor’s recovery from offseason knee surgery is ongoing, so there is a chance the Chiefs’ training staff wanted to avoid the Lumen Field turf. Whatever the reason, that meant Kansas City’s offensive line (left to right) was Josh Simmons, Kingsley Suamataia, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Jaylon Moore. All of them spent one series with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Reid often says that he will play the “best five” linemen. After Suamataia turned in another shaky performance in pass protection, it is worth wondering if Moore will get starting reps at left guard when the team resumes preseason practices in Kansas City. Given that Suamataia is a recent second-round pick, that could understandably be a tough pill to swallow — but in the eyes of Kansas City’s coaching staff, it may finally be time for that.
Digging for the positives.
If you’re a Chiefs fan, there is no denying that Friday night’s game against the Seahawks was a tough watch. Still, there were some positive developments.
On his only touch — a third-and-2 wheel route up the right sideline — Isiah Pacheco flashed the old burst he had before he fractured his fibula last season. Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton had a nice kick return — and later, caught a ball thrown behind him to collect a 14-yard catch on a third-and-3.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew once again looked capable — and even made a Mahomes-like play on his touchdown pass to tight end Robert Tonyan, who has gone from an interesting camp addition to a surefire member of the 53-man roster over the past month. Behind Minshew, Chris Oladokun continued to make his case for the practice-squad quarterback role.
On the defensive side, defensive end Ashton Gillotte saved a touchdown at the goal line by demonstrating the relentless motor the Chiefs talked about on draft night. He broke through to force an incomplete pass by Drew Lock near the end zone.
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