It was the first time the Kansas City Chiefs had taken the field for a formal game since Super Bowl LVIII. They were defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, so the outcome wasn’t favorable.
It felt very much like the preseason, as was to be expected. The start was slow at TIAA Bank Stadium, especially for the defending champions, and the momentum never really got up. The home team won by 13 points after taking advantage of opportunities in the first half.
There’s still a lot to talk about now, even though these games won’t really matter once the regular season begins. Here are four important lessons to remember from Saturday’s game in light of that.
There is opportunity for development from the brief view of the Chiefs’ starting offense.
When Andy Reid said on Saturday that his starters would play the entire first quarter, everyone knew that was not going to happen. That is precisely what transpired in Jacksonville, where players like Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes departed the field after just one drive. Xavier Worthy and Kingsley Suamataia, who were rookies when they first saw NFL play, had little work to do.
That initial drive produced a mixed bag of results. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who departed the game after suffering an injury, and Mahomes started developing a rapport on an 11-yard pass. Though Kelce once gained possession of the ball and halfback Isiah Pacheco produced a string of impressive plays, the drive ended just outside the red zone. Fans will undoubtedly want to see more in the second preseason game after Harrison Butker’s 45-yard field goal ended the scoring drive.
Errors on special teams must be corrected promptly.
The Chiefs have depended on inexperienced or youthful players to contribute to their special teams in recent years. Jaden Hicks’ tackle during a punt cover demonstrated this edge, but several errors happened in other areas. On a kickoff, Nikko Remigio dropped a punt (luckily not leading to a turnover) and Mecole Hardman and Deneric Prince made a mistake that resulted in a safety.
The NFL’s new kickoff regulations may be partially to blame for some of the problems on Saturday. The officiating crew’s misunderstanding of the previously mentioned safety indicates that it appears to be a work in progress. Some of the discomfort may work itself out as time goes on and everyone becomes more at ease. That being said, the Dave Toub-coached team, which is typically among the highest-graded in football, needs to start improving quickly.
The Chiefs rookie class’s (unofficial) premiere
Perhaps the most impressive player in general manager Brett Veach’s initial impression of the 2024 draft class was Hicks. In contrast to expectations, Worthy and Suamataia were not given many opportunities, but they also didn’t hear their names mentioned very often. Jared Wiley, a tight end selected in the fourth round, struggled in his preseason debut but learned from it.
Offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hanson had different outcomes as late-round or undrafted picks. The Chiefs’ second-team line was not very good overall. Carson Steele, who has been playing every position on offense this spring, is the clear leader of Veach’s UDFA class. The UCLA product ran with toughness and scored a touchdown on several occasions. All things considered, this was a great opportunity for the rookies to test the waters in the NFL.
Upon the return of Kansas City to training camp, there will be a lot of work ahead.
Teams are able to continue working on some of their inadequacies from training camp, which is one of the best things about the early portion of the preseason. On Monday morning, Kansas City’s team will resume practice and work nonstop for four days. Practices ought to be even more advantageous now that there is a clearer list of priorities.
The Chiefs play their first and second preseason games in a span of seven days. That is more than enough time to rearrange rotations, highlight important locations, and make necessary corrections. Teamwork on the Missouri Western State University campus is available for a short while longer, as camp ends on August 15.
