Halftime observations: Packers 21, Chiefs 17 at Arrowhead Stadium

After two quarters, the Chiefs trail the Packers 21-17 in their final preseason game.

Here’s what we saw.

New faces

With the first-string guys resting Thursday night, the Chiefs elevated a contingent of backups to the starting jobs.

Starters on defense: cornerback Arrion Springs, cornerback Tremon Smith, safety Leon McQuay, safety Armani Watts, linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon, linebacker Breeland Speaks, linebacker Ukeme Eligwe, linebacker Dorian O’Daniel, linebacker defensive tackle Mike Purcell, defensive tackle Justin Hamilton, and defensive tackle T.Y. McGill.

Starters on offense: tackle Bently Spain, guard Andrew Wylie, center Jordan Devey, guard Ryan Hunter, tackle Bryan Witzmann, quarterback Chad Henne, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, running back Damien Williams, tight end Demetrius Harris, tight end Alex Ellis, wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas.

Watts up, DeShone?

Armani Watts recorded his first interception of the preseason, snagging a pass from Packers backup DeShone Kizer in the Packers’ first series.

The Chiefs’ defense has struggled to manufacture turnovers during the preseason, with the last one coming on rookie Ben Neimann’s pick-six against Atlanta. Watts made his second start of the preseason Thursday, the first one coming in the first week against the Texans in place of Daniel Sorensen.

Abbreviated Henne time

Chad Henne got his first start as a Chief, but it was an abbreviated appearance. Henne played just one series: a nine-play, 51-yard drive that culminated with a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Demetrius Harris.

Henne completed 4 of 5 attempts for 33 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per completion. After the first drive, Henne was replaced by Matt McGloin. McGloin completed 5 of 7 attempts for 37 yards in his first series, including a nice 13-yard completion to tight end Jace Amaro to end the first quarter.

McGloin went three-and-out in his second series, but he came back with a monster 62-yard throw to K-State Byron Pringle to open his third series.

Williams tandem turns in solid half

The Chiefs run game looked stagnant throughout the preseason, but that wasn’t the case Thursday night.

Entering the final preseason game, the Chiefs averaged 2.9 yards per carry, but anchored by Damien and Darrel Williams (no relation), the Chiefs’ running backs registered 4.2 yards per carry in the first half.

Damien Williams had three carries for 16 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry, while Darrel Williams had 20 yards on five carries. Each back was also involved in the passing game. Darrel Williams caught a seven-yard touchdown pass with two minutes left in the second quarter, and Damien Williams had one catch for eight yards.

Ehinger traded

Perhaps the biggest storyline of the first half came before the game even kicked off. Offensive lineman Parker Ehinger was traded to Dallas for undrafted rookie cornerback Charvarius Ward.

Ward reportedly found out while he was warming up with the Cowboys, while Ehinger didn’t appear on the sideline at Arrowhead on Thursday night.

The move was probably a good one for Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, who not only added help in the secondary, but also unloaded an offensive lineman who was likely on the chopping block for roster cutdowns this weekend.

This story was originally published August 30, 2018 at 9:02 PM.