<strong><span class="subhead">Big highlight</span></strong></p><p>Kolby Smith ran 14 yards for a touchdown on the Chiefs&#8217; first drive, the first time in three weeks the first-team offense &#8212; several of the team&#8217;s regular starters, including Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez, didn&#8217;t play &#8212; scored a touchdown. Smith rushed for 34 yards on that possession and plowed through a defender and a teammate on the way to the end zone.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Big lowlight</span></strong></p><p>Dantrell Savage fumbled the opening kickoff, and St. Louis parlayed the mistake into a field goal. Savage&#8217;s fumble was the second time the rookie free agent made a mistake while fielding a kickoff. He stepped out of bounds at Kansas City&#8217;s 2-yard line last week. Thursday&#8217;s fumble might have cost Savage, once a popular player among coaches, a spot on the Chiefs&#8217; active roster.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">What we learned</span></strong></p><p>The Chiefs&#8217; offense is pretty good &#8212; against a backup defense. The Chiefs scored on their first two offensive series, both against St. Louis&#8217; reserves. During both possessions, Kansas City played with all but two offensive starters, Johnson and Gonzalez.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Next question</span></strong></p><p>Will the Chiefs do anything with this confidence? Sure, they scored twice against the Rams&#8217; backups, but at least they scored. That&#8217;s something they haven&#8217;t done with consistency in weeks. The Chiefs will have a first-class challenge Sept. 7 at New England, and every ounce of extra confidence Kansas City takes into Gillette Stadium has some value.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">The hot seat</span></strong></p><p>Savage might have fumbled his way out of a job Thursday night, which would be an unfortunate end to the story of the Chiefs&#8217; 5-foot-8 kick returner. He&#8217;s the player who endured an open tryout and made it to the final week; the Chiefs have to cut the roster by 22 players by Saturday. If Savage makes the team, B.J. Sams&#8217; hurt hamstring would be a big reason why.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Fantasy watch</span></strong></p><p><strong>Up:</strong> Kolby Smith. He started in place of Johnson and looked terrific on the Chiefs&#8217; first two possessions. He rushed six times for 38 yards and two touchdowns.</p><p><strong>Up:</strong> Jamaal Charles. The rookie speedster relieved Smith and didn&#8217;t miss a beat. Unless he gets some return duties, Charles will be a backup &#8212; and should be on any fantasy team.</p><p><strong>Up:</strong> The Chiefs&#8217; defense. It forced two fumbles and held St. Louis to 10 points in the first half. But that shouldn&#8217;t give the Kansas City unit illusions of its fantasy value.