The good the bad and the great
Quentin Morris @quentincmorris Chiefs Focus @Chiefsfocus
www.chiefsfocus.com
The Chiefs would fall to the Bears 14-19 for their first preseason game. The Chiefs would still walk away with some good looks at the young talent on both sides of the ball.
The number one takeaway is how fast the defense played. From rookies to multi year veterans the defense was flying across the field. Every play had multiple red helmets on the ball. The first drive was a perfect encapsulation of the team.
Players like Chris Jones, Frank Clark and Khalen Saunders all not only made it into the backfield but showed off their speed. Jones had a sack on the first defensive drive. Clark forced a throw away on the second drive and Saunders chanced down the running back to get a tackle for loss.
Karlaftis really depended on his power move. He was able to get his first sack while utilizing a swim move. However, he looked to muscle his way through linemen all throughout the game. While that is a good move to have in your repertoire players need to have multiple moves. This is especially notable for Karlaftis because he has limited playing time at the position. He did not start playing football until he was in highschool.
WIth that being said he still had a good game and if he continues to improve the sky’s the limit with Karlaftis.
The Chiefs first team offense worked like a well oiled machine. The offensive line created big running lanes and plenty of time for Patrick Mahomess to drive the team down the field to score a touchdown. Mahomes was able to complete the pass to multiple receivers including Blake Bell, Travis Kelce and Micheal Burton.
The Chiefs found their back up kicker. Earlier in the week Justin Reid nailed a 65 yard field goal at training camp. This led to the Chiefs giving him a shot to kick a PAT and once again he nailed it.
In the post game interview head coach Andy Reid brought up the positives of having a player with his ability.
“For him to be a legit kicker is a positive for us,” Reid said. “He’s been pretty good with his kicks.”
During a sideline interview Justin Reid was asked about his kick and he was confident about his ability going forward.
“The backup kicker position is locked down,” said Reid.
Ronald Jones played poorly. When he had a chance to show off his skill set against the Bears second and third string players he did not produce. He had four runs in a row where he got stuffed on the line of scrimmage. He missed a block that led to a 12 yard sack. He is a player that needs to show off his skill set and this game can lead to a reduction in reps as the preseason goes forward.
Derrick Gore also played poorly. During the Chiefs two minute drill Gore had two different drops. Both of the passes were catchable balls thrown by Buechele. He would leave the game early with a neck injury.
Bell also left the game with an injury. It was reported as a hip injury. He was first reported as questionable to return but that was later changed to out. In the post game conference
The Chiefs will face the Washington Commanders Aug. 20 before then they will have to cut down to an 85 man roster.
