The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t look very sharp during Friday night’s 33-16 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But while the Seahawks rolled to victory on the backs of their dominant rushing performance — racking up 174 rushing yards in the first half and 268 overall — the Chiefs used the game to test its young players and evaluate their depth.
“It’s a great environment out here to see what you’ve got,” head coach Andy Reid told reporters during his postgame press conference. “A lot of these guys are battling to make the team. We were able to get them in there so we can evaluate them. I thought [in] this game here, that was [the] most important. The ‘ones’ will get a little more time next week as we go forward on Thursday. But again, there are always some good things — [and] a lot of things we can learn — from here, too.”
Quarterback Gardner Minshew was one of the few veterans to get extended action, leading two drives. His first ended in frustration when the Chiefs stalled on a fourth-and-one at the Seahawks’ 15-yard line, but he responded with a sharp second series capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Robert Tonyan.
“He’s a super-smart player,” Minshew said, praising the seventh-year tight end who’s battling for a spot on the roster. “He has a great feel for space; [he] just got out there. He’s working with me. It was a good play by him.”
Minshew finished the night completing 7-of-9 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. While disappointed with the missed opportunity on the opening drive, he was ultimately pleased to get valuable snaps with the starters.
“Anytime you get out there and get reps, it’s a good time,” he noted. “Glad to be working with some of the ‘ones,’ just get my communication right — to be able to go out there and operate.”
Meanwhile, Reid weighed in on several roster battles. Although he said that the offensive line was just “okay” and would need further review on film, Reid was more candid about wide receiver Skyy Moore. The former second-round pick struggled with drops on both offense and special teams before redeeming himself with an 88-yard punt return touchdown.
“He’s a lot better than that,” Reid said of Moore’s miscues. “He had three bobbles and drops, [both on] special teams and with throws. [He] came back with a big play, so I’m proud of him for that. It wasn’t his best night up to that point.”
While the night belonged to the Seahawks on the scoreboard, the Chiefs benefitted by building depth, identifying contributors and letting players like Minshew find rhythm in live action. Patrick Mahomes and other key starters rested for this one, but Reid didn’t rule out playing his star quarterback when the Chiefs return home to face the Chicago Bears in their final preseason game on Friday
“I’ll give you all that as we get closer,” Reid said of Mahomes’ playing time next week. “Yeah… there’s a chance to get more work.”
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