Although Friday night’s last-second touchdown gave the Kansas City Chiefs a 29-27 loss to the Chicago Bears, there were plenty of positives to take away from the team’s final preseason game.
Most importantly, head coach Andy Reid reported no injuries from the matchup. It was also encouraging that the team’s offense looked ready for the season. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes stayed and the rest of the offensive starters stayed on the field for the Chiefs’ first three drives, scoring 17 points and totaling 197 yards. Mahomes completed a 58-yard pass to wideout Tyquan Thornton and a 20-yard throw to tight end Travis Kelce.
Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons continued his strong preseason, while second-year guard Kingsley Suamataia put some concerns to rest after displaying some shaky pass protection during the first two preseason games.
“I thought the offensive line did a nice job,” Reid told reporters after the game. “[They] gave Pat time. The run game? We were efficient in the run game. So it starts up there. I thought the receivers caught the ball, [the] tight end caught the ball and everybody contributed.
“Pat looks smooth [and] confident — [and] trusts in that group. So I thought it was a pretty smooth operation for tonight.”
Mahomes agreed with his coach.
KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 21: Kingsley Suamataia #76 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after an NFL football game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 21, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) Getty Images
“I thought they did a great job,” he said of the offensive line. “They’ve been working hard the entire camp. Obviously the veteran guys did a great job, but it was good to see the young guys go up against some good rushers… When they give me time like that, guys can get up and down the field. It’s kind of like a cliche, but it all does start up front — and when the offensive line is blocking like that, it kind of gets the offense going.”
Coming into training camp, the line’s left side was the biggest concern. But Mahomes has seen Simmons and Suamataia improve — especially after getting the frequent tests administered by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
“We challenged them all camp,” he reminded his listeners. “We gave them the hardest [looks] they can get going against Spags and putting them in one-on-one situations. They learned — and got better and better — and they have to continue to take steps in the right direction. They’ve done that.
“There’ll be mistakes every once in a while. That’s part of it. That’s part of playing in the NFL, but it’s how you respond [to them]. I’m excited for these guys to be challenged and then go out there and show who they are.”
After an offseason of hyping up the return of the Chiefs’ deep passing attack, Mahomes’ deep shot to Thornton could be a preview of things to come. The quarterback believes he narrowly missed another big play to wideout Rashee Rice — and that an improved downfield game will get tight end Travis Kelce into favorable circumstances.
“We’ve got to be able to win on the outside,” the quarterback explained. “Even the play early in the game where Rashee got the face mask, I thought he made a good adjustment on the ball before that. So if they’re going to be one-on-one on the outside, we can make plays — and it puts them into the shell coverages. Then Trav starts getting going.”
To Mahomes, it’s simple.
“We have to be able to prove — game-by-game — we can hit the deep passes,” he declared. “If we do that, it opens up the rest of the offense and everybody can get going.”
This year, Reid changed the preseason script by resting his starters in the second contest and then playing them more in the third game. Mahomes understands Reid’s logic.
Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images
“The preseason is the preseason,” he explained. “We understand you want everybody to stay safe and have your health and stuff like that.
“But at the end of the day, you’re a football player. You’ve got to play football — and there’s risks that are involved with that. We on this team, we want to get out there and [have] chances to showcase that what we’re doing is paying off. [With new] offensive linemen, a couple of new receivers and getting guys back that were injured last year, you want to go out there and showcase what you’ve been working on. I thought we did a good job of that today, especially in those earlier groups.”
This was the step that had to be taken before the important divisional matchup that will open the regular season: the Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Saõ Paulo, Brazil.
“It was a small step,” said Mahomes, “but it was a step in the right direction.”