Notching a win in the first week of the preseason is nice, but in the long run, it’s not going help much. It starts the team off on the right foot, which is important for building confidence, but it doesn’t do much more.
The performances by the respective players and units in Kansas City were much more important than the outcome of the game. There were definitely some encouraging moments in Week 1, but there are some things that we could see this week that’d make things feel a lot more comfortable for the 2019 Chiefs.
Here’s a look at what we want to see from the Chiefs during Week 2 of preseason play:
Defensive improvements
Look, we’re not going to get any crazy blitzing or schematic innovations in the preseason. But is it too much to ask for to just see some more signs of improvement for the defense? Even if it’s just better individual performances, I want to see them able to make a stop and get off the field. That’d put my nerves at ease over the new defense and the pieces the team has added.
They would have done that in Week 1 had a fumble not been called back, and things just snowballed from that point for the first string unit. They showed improvement on their second drive forcing a punt, but it wasn’t all of the starters in there. The defensive starters should be able to get something going, as they’ll be facing Mason Rudolph and not Ben Roethlisberger. Ideally, they’ll get a few nice plays in coverage and a few sacks, then call it a day for the starters.
Continue…
Continued progress for veterans & rookies
There were several standout rookies and veterans during Week 1 of the preseason. What the Chiefs don’t want is for those performances to be a one-time occurrence. Building consistency is going to be crucial for having the type of success this team wants to have this season.
With that in mind, look for these players to keep standing out:
- WR Mecole Hardman
- RB Darwin Thompson
- DL Breeland Speaks
- DL Tanoh Kpassagnon
- S Armani Watts
Additionally, those who didn’t have a great start to the preseason, it’d be nice to see them come out and attack Week 2. Guys that had a rough time like Charvarius Ward, if he can come back and have a solid week that’d be really encouraging to see.
Continue…
Standout plays from newcomers
There are several newcomers on the offensive and defensive side of the ball for the Chiefs. It’d be great to see some more of them come in and make some good plays. Blake Bell had a solid first week, so did Tyrann Mathieu. Others need to stand out and make some plays too. It’s time to back up some of that hype that has been permeating throughout the offseason with some good play on the field.
Bashaud Breeland has often looked like the best corner on the team in training camp. Let’s see a few plays on the football from him. If Frank Clark and Alex Okafor make their debuts, let’s see them find some success rushing the passer. Damien Wilson is a veteran linebacker, so let’s see him go out and make some veteran plays. Carlos Hyde got a short little touchdown run in Week 1, but let’s see him run wild on the Steelers defense.
Are you sensing a theme here? A good game from all of these players would go a long way for this team.
Continue…
Less Patrick Mahomes than promised
This may seem blasphemous, but the idea of Patrick Mahomes playing for a full half of a preseason game doesn’t excite me. That’s what Andy Reid has Mahomes and the starters penciled in for. It’s not that I don’t want to watch him play — I could do that for the rest of my life and die happy — it’s just that I look around the league and see expansive injury reports with quarterbacks among them.
Look at the Eagles, for instance, they’ve already lost two quarterbacks behind Carson Wentz. The idea of prolonging Mahomes’ exposure to injury over a few vanilla preseason snaps makes me queasy. There’s no greater QB to backup QB drop off in the NFL than Patrick Mahomes to Chad Henne. Henne isn’t even the “Great Value” Mahomes. There’s really just no reason to expose him to potential injury. If he leads a scoring drive, great, be done with it there and put Henne in the game. If Mahomes doesn’t lead a scoring drive and you need to put him out there for a second series, go for it, but be cautious about it and protect the star QB at all costs.
Go back…
