Kansas City Chiefs’ starters saw more action in win over Cardinals. Some observations
The Chiefs won their second straight preseason game Friday night, beating the Arizona Cardinals 17-10 in Glendale, Ariz.
For evaluation purposes ahead of the regular season, the Chiefs’ coaching staff has to be pleased with the effort.
The Chiefs’ first-team units on both sides of the ball saw more action than they had in their previous game. And for the most part, they were cohesive units, with 10 points scored by the offense and the defense pitching a shutout through the first half.
“All in all, I thought it was a good game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Offensively, we had a lot of yards, a lot of plays. Probably could’ve had more points in that first half. On defense, 22 (safety Juan Thornhill), 95 (Chris Jones), 51 (Mike Danna), these guys all really showed up.”
Here are some observations from Friday night’s game.
MAHOMES PLAYED MORE
After logging four snaps in the preseason opener, quarterback Patrick Mahomes drew a sweat against the Cardinals by playing midway through the second quarter before giving way to Chad Henne.
Mahomes completed 10 of 18 passes for 78 yards and no touchdowns with an interception for a 43.3 passer rating. He played three series and added two rushes for 10 yards, both attempts resulting in first downs.
While those aren’t gaudy numbers, Mahomes led the Chiefs on an efficient 15-play opening drive that culminated in Harrison Butker’s 24-yard field goal.
Mahomes’ turnover came on a pass he likely wanted back the moment it left his hands. In his third series, and with the team in scoring position on a long, 15-play drive, Mahomes scrambled out of the pocket to his right. The defensive pressure forced the quarterback near the right sideline before he threw the ball into the end zone, leading to an easy interception for Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy.
Mahomes will look at the play on film and know he should’ve thrown it more out of bounds.
“The only mistake we really made was when I was trying to throw the ball away and I left it where he could still pick the ball off,” Mahomes said of the first-team offense’s showing. “Other than that, I though we had a pretty good game.”
The Chief are likely to play their starting quarterback through two quarters in their final preseason game, at home against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday.
HARDMAN’S BUSY FIRST HALF
It was clear the Chiefs entered this game wanting to get wide receiver Mecole Hardman involved early and often.
Mahomes targeted Hardman five times, connecting twice for 19 yards, on the Chiefs’ first possession. Of note, Mahomes threw into the end zone twice to Hardman, but both passes fell incomplete.
While Mahomes and Hardman couldn’t connect for a score and appeared out of sync a couple of times, the receiver helped put more points on the board with a 17-yard touchdown reception from Henne.
Hardman made a difficult catch look easy, reaching back on an underthrown pass. His momentum carried him forward, but he secured the ball falling down near the back of the end zone.
“It was definitely a good feeling to get back in there,” Hardman said of scoring a touchdown.
The Chiefs need someone to step up to help fill the hole left by the departure of veteran wideouit Sammy Watkins, who signed a free-agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason.
Hardman, who finished with four catches for 39 yards and the score on eight targets, should be among the first in line to fill the void.
FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE SHINES
The Chiefs’ defensive starters played well into the second quarter and befuddled the Cardinals’ first-team unit, which was without All-Pro wide receiver Deandre Hopkins.
Quarterback Kyler Murray found no easy sledding in his limited action, going three-and-out in consecutive series before giving way to Colt McCoy. McCoy went three-and-out in his first series against the stout Chiefs defense.
“I was real pleased with the defense and how they played,” Reid said. “I thought Spags (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) did a nice job there.”
The Chiefs tallied three sacks — one each by defensive lineman Chris Jones, defensive tackle Jarran Reed and linebacker Anthony Hitchens — in the first half and kept Arizona off the scoreboard.
Jones has now recorded a sack in consecutive preseason games.
THIRD STRING?
Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill turned heads this past week at training camp by working with the third-team unit.
Coach Andy Reid advised to not read too much into it, pointing out that Thornhill had been rotated in with all the groups. And Friday night, the third-year safety showed there is nothing wrong with his play.
He produced arguably the defensive play of the game with a full-extension diving interception in the end zone to kill a Cardinals drive near the end of the first half. He finished with a tackle, the interception and a pass defensed, proving his head coach was right in not reading too much into his early-week repetitions.
MAKING A PUSH
Wide receiver Daurice Fountain reinforced a strong summer with another good outing, hauling in three catches for 54 yards, including a 41-yard grab.
Fountain, who joined the Chiefs after a successful tryout during rookie minicamp, has been coming on since the pads came out at training camp. While he has a lot of competition within his position group, the 2018 fifth-round pick of the Colts is making the decision tough when it comes to setting the Chiefs’ initial 53-player roster.
If he’s not with the Chiefs, expect another team to scoop him up.
RETURNER ROTATION
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said earlier in the week that he would continue utilizing different returners, and he stuck with his word.
Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, cornerback Mike Hughes and wide receiver Darrius Shepherd rotated as the Chiefs’ punt returner in the first half.
Of the three, the sure-handed Robinson didn’t look very comfortable after fielding two punts. He seems to take a step back before looking to head up the field, and there must be some concern about ball security, considering how he tends to hold the football like a loaf of bread.
Running back Jerick McKinnon, who scored on a 5-yard touchdown catch, returned a kick for 22 yards. Running back Darwin Thompson logged a return for 37 yards, while Shepherd recorded a return for 18.
LEADERBOARD
- Wide receiver Byron Pringle led the team in receiving with four catches for 63 yards.
- Cornerback Deandre Baker, defensive lineman Austin Edwards and safety Zayne Anderson each recorded four tackles.
NOT SUITED UP
The Chiefs were without defensive end Frank Clark (hamstring), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (hip flexor) and guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (hand).
Offensive lineman Kyle Long (knee) and rookie defensive end Malik Herring (knee) remain on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
INJURIES
Running back Darrel Williams left the game in the first half to be evaluated for a concussion.
Reid said after the game that running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered an ankle sprain and cornerback Rashad Fenton suffered a hamstring injury.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill was dressed, but didn’t play because of a team decision.
“Tyreek had a hamstring that kind of tightened up on him in practice,” Reid said. “Thought he could go, and then during warm-ups it tightened up. We chose to keep him out there.”
UP NEXT
The Chiefs are off Saturday and Sunday before resuming practice Monday at their Kansas City training facility in preparation for Friday’s preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 10:16 PM.
