Takeaways from Chiefs first preseason game vs. Jaguars
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a 26-13 defeat at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in their first preseason game.
The scores of these games are irrelevant. What matters is how players perform outside of the practice setting, under the big lights and in shiny, fresh uniforms.
In the game, the first-team offense only got seven plays on the first drive of the game which ended with a field goal. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes looked methodical and accurate per usual, running back Isiah Pacheco notched two carries for 16 yards and one catch for nine yards and tight end Travis Kelce caught a ball for seven yards.
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A big return led to a four-play touchdown drive from Jacksonville’s starting offense
Left tackle battle looks sewn up
Second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia has been the starting left tackle since he stepped on the field in Kansas City. Second-year tackle Wanya Morris rotated in with him early in offseason workouts before he was firmly entrenched with the second team.
Suamataia got the start against the Jags and looked fairly well in his lone drive of the game. His pass protection was his strength coming out of college and it showed in the drive.
Morris is still injured and did not play, hurting his chances to take the starting job.
Last season’s International Pathway Program player Chuk Godrick subbed in at left tackle for the second team for four plays where backup QB Carson Wentz was pressured on one play and sacked the next play. Undrafted rookie Ethan Driskell took over at LT and played fairly well looking steady and composed in pass protection.
The left tackle battle may already be over and with Morris out with injury for the moment, he has no way to stop the rookie from taking over.
Cornerback #2 is still up for grabs
The L’Jarius Sneed-sized hole in the secondary is still there.
Cornerback Joshua Williams is in the spot for now but gave up some big plays to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas while covering him pretty well. Chamarri Conner also started at nickel with cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson and Jaylen Watson out with injury.
Williams has been in the rotation since he was selected as a fourth-round pick in 2022.
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His play has been well in spots but consistency has been his biggest issue. The issue remains throughout camp and the first preseason game.
The corners behind Trent McDuffie, Williams, Johnson, and Watson are not inspiring with second-year pro Nic Jones and fourth-year corner Keith Taylor. Taylor took reps with the first-team defense on Saturday.
Defensive backs coach Dave Merritt is used to coaching young cornerbacks up and the Chiefs are always committed to developing drafted corners. Someone will need to step up over the preseason to take the job.
Jaden Hicks is going to be a problem
The fourth-round rookie safety out of Washington State received high praise from special teams coordinator Dave Toub who called him a dependable special teams starter in the first week of training camp.
Hicks showed why against the Jags making plays on defense and special teams all over the field.
His biggest highlight on special teams is when he made a tackle on returner Austin Trammell in the second quarter tackling him as soon as he caught the punt.
Kickoff rule needs a few tweaks
The NFL is figuring out how many kinks the kickoff rule has as the first week of the preseason rolls on.
Outside of the Chiefs giving up some big returns with the new rule, a unique situation came up that hasn’t been accounted for. Just before the end of the first half, a Jaguars kickoff saw the ball land in the end zone but bounce outside of the end zone to the 1-yard line.
Wide receiver/returner Mecole Hardman took a knee in the endzone as he corralled the ball for what was initially ruled a touchback.
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After official review, the Jags were awarded a safety.
The previous kickoff ruled the play a touchback if the ball landed in the end zone untouched. The new rules state that a ball kicked into the end zone is live and must be returned or downed by the receiving team.
If Hardman caught the ball in the end zone and downed it, the Chiefs would receive the ball for a touchback at the 20-yard line. Because he pulled the ball into the end zone, it is a safety.
With no rule tailor-made for this situation, the NFL is likely making a point to collect all of the kickoff data throughout the preseason to implement certain rules for the regular season.
Or they could just let it ride and let the natural precedents set themselves.
Carson Steele may be the fullback the Chiefs need
Steele may have cemented himself on the roster with his role.
The UCLA rookie is listed as a fullback but led the team in rushing yards with 29 yards on four carries. His physical 20-yard run was key on the Chiefs’ only touchdown-scoring drive and he scored on a one-yard touchdown run.
Steele is productive in pass protection and has also shown up on special teams as a key figure.
Some more productive days in camp and the next two preseason games and he’ll make it very tough for the Chiefs to keep him off the 53-man roster.
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