5 reasons to watch the Chiefs’ preseason game at Atlanta on Friday night
The Chiefs hit the road for the first time in the preseason, visiting the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The idea is for the Chiefs to make a second visit to the building in a few months. Atlanta hosts Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019.
Here are five story lines to follow for the game that will be televised on KCTV (Ch. 5). The radio broadcast is on KCFX (101.1 FM).
It’s a safety dance
The surprise decision by reserve safety Robert Golden to leave the Chiefs, plus injuries, further thins the safety position. The Chiefs are likely to sign a replacement for Golden to add to their depth, but they’ll play with the current group against the Falcons. Eric Murray and Armani Watts have been starting in practice. Watts, a rookie, topped the Chiefs in defensive snaps (49) last week. Leon McQuay recently rejoined the team for drills after missing time with an injury.
Protecting the goods
The Chiefs’ plan is the play the starters in the first half, and the first-team offense looks for more success than last week. In two series, the Chiefs picked up just two first downs and gained a mere 29 yards. The offensive line wasn’t happy with its performance as Patrick Mahomes was pressured a few times on his seven attempts and sacked once.
Mahomes’ accuracy
Last week, the second-year quarterback was 5 of 7 passing for 33 yards, and made a nice decision on his first attempt that resulted in a 14-yard gain to Travis Kelce. But also he overthrew an open Kelce on a deep corner route and ended the possession with another incompletion. Teams don’t show much of their playbook in preseason games, but look for more variety in plays and targets.
Defensive push
Texans backup quarterback Brandon Weeden found success against the Chiefs’ starters and second-team defense last week partly because he wasn’t well-pressured. The Chiefs’ Friday night aim is to disrupt the quarterback with push up the middle from Chris Jones and Allen Bailey, and from outside linebackers Justin Houston and Dee Ford on the edge.
The opponent
Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he didn’t like the “sloppiness” shown by the Falcons in their 17-0 loss to the Jets last week. Atlanta’s starters played only one possession and had two penalties. Quinn didn’t say how long his starters will play Friday night. But wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman, who didn’t play against the Jets, are available on Friday.
This story was originally published August 16, 2018 at 12:01 PM.