The Chiefs put their first preseason action in the books with Saturday night’s 19-16 win against the San Francisco 49ers.
Nothing the Chiefs did was perfect, however, given the nature of preseason action. Final scores also shouldn’t be read too much into.
Starters also tend not to see much action, going no more than two series, or just one in some cases.
Called plays tend to be scaled back, but coaches use the games as part of the evaluation process, specifically how well the plays are executed and if players are following assignments.
An example of execution is Shane Buechele flawlessly leading the Chiefs on a game-winning drive, which was highlighted by a one-handed catch by tight end Jody Fortson, with less than two minutes on the clock.
Keeping the above in mind for perspective, here are areas that stood out:
O-LINE DRAWS FIRST BLOOD
The Chiefs’ revamped offensive line got one series together with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and made the most of it on the very first play.
Playing against mostly backup Niners’ defenders, the entire front five consisting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., left guard Joe Thuney, rookie center Creed Humphrey, rookie right guard Trey Smith and rookie left tackle Lucas Niang, manhandled their assignments on a run play.
The blocking was so great that running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a massive hole waiting for him on the left side A-Gap between the guard and center, which was blown wide open. Edwards-Helaire easily gained 10 yards for a first down before being brought down.
The drive, however, ended three plays later when Mahomes’ pass intended for wide receiver Mecole Hardman fell incomplete. Mahomes finished the drive attempting two passes, completing a single pass to tight end Travis Kelce for 4 yards.
Mahomes’ night officially ended when Chad Henne entered the game on the Chiefs’ second offensive line possession.
Of note, San Francisco star defenders Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Fred Warner, Dee Ford and Jason Verrett, among others, didn’t suit up.
SACKS ALWAYS MATTER
Yes, it’s preseason.
But nothing says execution like sacks, and the Chiefs had seven of them.
Defensive lineman Chris Jones, defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, defensive end Tim Ward, linebacker Omari Cobb, defensive lineman Austin Edwards and linebacker Darius Harris all notched a sack.
Jones, in particular, lined up mostly at right defensive end with Frank Clark (hamstring) not playing. When Clark returns to the lineup, Jones is likely to line up over a team’s right tackle like he’s done throughout training camp.
Second-year defensive end Mike Danna lined up at left defensive end with Jones on the right side.
TIME TO SHINE
Wide receiver Daurice Fountain, who joined the Chiefs after a successful tryout in rookie minicamp, led the offense with four catches for 38 yards on six targets. Fountain has flashed in training camp while working mostly with the backups, but he took advantage of his repetitions Saturday night.
Running back Jerick McKinnon paced the Chiefs offense with 40 total yards (19 rushing) against his former team.
Undrafted rookie linebacker Riley Cole led the defense with five tackles.
RETURNER ROTATION
Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle are the assumed top options at the returner spots, but they didn’t see much action in punt or kickoff formations.
Instead, the Chiefs rolled with cornerback Mike Hughes and wide receivers Darius Shepherd and Gehrig Dieter at punt returner. McKinnon, Fountain and Hughes split time at kick returner.
Shepherd led the team with two returns for 29 yards, averaging 14.5 yards per attempt. Hughes had a 40-yard kickoff return.
MISTAKES HAPPEN
The Chiefs backup defense did their best to make Niners quarterback Trey Lance, who took over from Jimmy Garoppolo’s one series, look like a rookie.
For the most part, they did.
But Lance showed why he was the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft with an incredible play on his second series at the Niners’ own 20-yard line.
The rookie rolled left away from the Chiefs’ defensive pressure and looked down the field, as the Chiefs appeared to be in a Cover 2 coverage scheme. Lance spotted wide receiver Trent Sherfield, who worked his way across the field with Mike Hughes trailing. Sherfield then broke free on the outside of rookie safety Devon Key, who was playing more inside.
By this time, Lance anticipated Sherfield’s break and launched the pass, which Sherfield hauled in beyond the 50-yard line in Chiefs’ territory. Sherfield easily won the footrace against Key, whose hips were turned on Sherfield’s break, and Hughes for an 80-yard touchdown.
Lance finished the game completing 5-of-14 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown with an interception against the Chiefs’ backup defense.
NOT SUITED UP
The Chiefs were without wide receiver Antonio Callaway (bone bruise), linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (recently returned from concussion protocol), defensive end Frank Clark (hamstring), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (hip flexor), guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (hand), tackle Mike Remmers (back) and defensive end Taco Charlton (hamstring) did not dress for the game.
