KC Chiefs close out preseason with win over Green Bay Packers: highlights from the game
The Chiefs put another preseason in the books without much fanfare Thursday evening.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t play, the starters saw limited action and the contest against the Green Bay Packers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium turned into a battle of backups.
In the end, the Chiefs’ reserves proved better, taking a 17-10 win in both teams’ final dress rehearsal for the regular season.
“It was a good game to get the young guys into,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I thought they did a nice job in finishing it out.”
Third-string Chiefs quarterback Shane Beuchele led the way with two touchdown passes to backup tight end Matt Bushman. In a little more than two quarters of action, Buechele completed 11 of 17 passes for 166 yards, adding 4 yards rushing on three carries.
Bushman, the team’s fifth tight end on the depth chart, paced the Chiefs’ passing attack with three catches for 73 yards before injuring his shoulder in the third quarter. Wide receiver Daurice Fountain had two catches for 36 yards.
The Chiefs didn’t rely on running backs Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon in the preseason finale. Instead, rookie running back Isiah Pacheco received a sizable workload. Pacheco led the Chiefs’ rushing attack with 10 carries for 52 yards and contributed on special teams with a kickoff return for 17 yards.
As a team, the Chiefs rushed for 102 yards on 27 carries.
“We were able to get the run game going a little bit, which we needed to do coming off the last two games,” Reid said.
Quarterback Chad Henne got the start for the Chiefs and completed four of seven passes for 23 yards before giving way to Buechele early in the second quarter.
Here’s what stood out in Thursday night’s game:
SEVENTY-PLUS … AGAIN
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker put on another show during the pre-game warmups Thursday afternoon.
A week after nailing a 74-yard field before the Chiefs played host to the Washington Commanders, Butker lined up and drilled a 71-yard field goal.
It’s not a matter of Butker showing off — he likes to kick from long distance before games in preparation for live action.
“In pre-game he likes to hit long ones because it makes him feel like when we do kick a 50-yarder,” Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub explained earlier in the week. “He feels real close because he just banged 21 yards further than he just kicked the 53.”
HIDDEN BATTLE
The Chiefs are likely to keep either nine or 10 offensive linemen, and Thursday saw a wrinkle with the second-team offensive line that could make things interesting.
If the Chiefs go with nine, conventional wisdom says backup center Austin Reiter, who started during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning season, is the likely in.
But the Chiefs moved Reiter to right guard Thursday night, inserting undrafted rookie free agent Michael Caliendo at center. The Chiefs got a good look at Caliendo’s versatility, a trait the team covets along the front five.
How the Chiefs evaluate Caliendo’s performance could affect their initial 53-player roster, which is due to the league office on Tuesday.
BUBBLE WATCH
Offensive lineman Darian Kinnard: The Chiefs’ fifth-round pick has a tough journey to make the initial 53-player roster. And working with the third-team unit for a third straight preseason game did not help his cause.
Running back Ronald Jones: The Chiefs rested Edwards-Helaire and limited the playing time of Pacheco and McKinnon. Those factors opened up more playing time for Jones, who needed a strong game to make a case for inclusion on the roster. Jones rushed for 43 yards on eight carries, averaging 5.4. It remains to be seen if that effort is enough to get him a roster spot.
Wide receiver Josh Gordon: The veteran didn’t enter the game until early in the second quarter. He finished with no targets, giving him one catch for 10 yards on five total targets this preseason. At this point, it will take a miracle for Gordon to survive the upcoming roster cuts.
INJURIES
Rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie entered the concussion protocol in the first quarter and did not return to the game.
Tight end Matt Bushman left in the third quarter with a shoulder injury after landing awkwardly on his right side. He received attention on the bench before heading into the tunnel with an athletic trainer.
Reid announced after the game that Bushman suffered a fractured clavicle, defensive end Malik Herring is dealing with an oblique strain and the team is evaluating running back Jerrion Ealy’s knee.
NOT SUITED UP
As expected, the Chiefs were without wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), tight end Blake Bell (hip), cornerback Rashad Fenton (hamstring), defensive end Carlos Dunlap (Achilles inflammation) and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. None was in uniform Thursday.
After the game, Reid provided an update on Valdes-Scantling, who did not practice Tuesday.
“He’s OK,” Reid said. “He banged his head and so he was in the concussion protocol. He’s all right.”
UP NEXT
The Chiefs need to trim their roster from 80 players to 53 by Tuesday’s league-wide deadline.
The Chiefs then have a week off before returning to practice after the Labor Day weekend to prepare for a road-game season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 11.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 9:57 PM.
