Five things that stood out in the Kansas City Chiefs preseason finale against Vikings
Patrick Mahomes’ next snap will count.
But these offered a pretty good warmup.
Mahomes had his top performance this preseason, completing 8 of 9 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 28-25 win against the visiting Vikings at Arrowhead Stadium.
The next time the Chiefs step inside Arrowhead Stadium, they’ll host the Browns in the regular season opener. But they have some time. With the NFL’s decision to strike the fourth preseason game — replacing it with a 17th regular season contest — the Chiefs have 15 days before facing the Browns on Sept. 12.
First things first. The Chiefs will need to trim their initial roster to 53 players on Tuesday.
That meant Friday represented the final chance for players to state their cases.
With that in mind, here are five things that stood out in the last preseason tuneup.
1. All is well with the first-team O
It had been awhile.
But alas, the first-team offense has its first touchdown since the AFC Championship Game back in January.
After a scoreless Super Bowl — last time we mention that for awhile — the Chiefs starters were scoreless on four preseason drives.
No longer.
Patrick Mahomes found Tyreek Hill down the sideline — beating former Chiefs corner Bashaud Breeland in the process — for a 35-yard touchdown on the opening drive.
The wait for another touchdown? A little shorter.
On the next drive, Mahomes threw across his body, and tight end Blake Bell hauled it in at his knees before backing into the end zone.
That’ll do.
2. Marcus Kemp solidifying his roster spot
The Chiefs top-4 receivers are set. Entered training camp that way.
The spots behind them? The Chiefs arrived in St. Joseph ready to see how that would unfold.
They have to like what they’ve seen from Marcus Kemp.
His strong training camp translated onto the field Friday, a 23-yard touchdown catch in traffic highlighting his 3-catch, 41-yard day.
There’s more, though. The real reason Kemp is a near-lock to make the roster comes elsewhere — with special teams. He’s among coordinator Dave Toub’s most valuable pieces, and on Friday, he made an open field tackle on a kick return short of the 20.
3. Two words: Derrick Gore
Look, we didn’t expect to reserve this space for running back Derrick Gore because he’s a long shot to make the initial roster. But his preseason is worth a mention.
Coach Andy Reid’s Gale Sayers comparison is a bit strong, but after leading all rushers with 54 yards a week ago, Gore’s best moment yet arrived in the finale.
He took a screen pass 56 yards to the house, and it’s not as though he had only daylight in front of him. He weaved through the defensive backfield before scooting into the end zone.
Gore topped 100 total yards in the game.
He’s a candidate for the practice squad.
4. Could Mike Hughes be a factor on returns?
Mecole Hardman is still the primary punt returner, and cornerback Mike Hughes’ return for a touchdown Friday didn’t technically count because of a flag.
But it’s not as though the play didn’t make the tape. Hughes is looking more and more comfortable in a return role, enough that Toub might just have to use him there in a game. In the first week, Hughes had a 39-yard kick return, too.
He’s locked down a big role on the defense — the primary reason the Chiefs acquired him in a trade with the Vikings — but they might have landed a special teams player, too.
5. A particular aspect of the defense
After the Chiefs met in the summer, defensive players spent their media sessions reiterating a message they’d heard from coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
They needed to be better in the red zone.
The first-team defense had its chance Friday and responded quite well. The Vikings marched inside the Chiefs’ 10-yard line with little resistance, but they stopped there. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, emerging as a real star, and linebacker Wilie Gay had pass break-ups. Minnesota settled for a field goal.
It’s a start.
Will it carry into the regular season? We’ll know in 15 days.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 10:32 PM.