Chiefs show flashes in preseason matchup against Saints
Tyler Brown
Pre-season games should always be taken with a grain of salt, but there was plenty to glean on for the Kansas City Chiefs as they lost to old friend Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints 26-24.
After a turnover on downs and a punt for the Chiefs offense, along with some early struggles from the defense, Kansas City found themselves down 17-0 early in the second quarter.
“All in all, it was good to get a game in,” head coach Andy Reid said. “The ones – we have to pick up the tempo there on both sides of the ball. Not good enough. We have some things to work on there.”
While it was an exhibition game, the defending world champions showed heart by storming back, tallying 24 unanswered points.
Former Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw a touchdown to Ritchie James to get the Chiefs on the board, but most of the leg work was done by third-string quarterback Shane Buechele. Buechele commanded the offense well throwing for 155 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception on 11 passes completed.
“Coming out that second half, the message was “energy.” We needed to have better energy on the sideline and field,” Buechele said. “We were able to put together a couple of drives where we were able to score.”
Undrafted free agent rookie wide receiver out of Fresno State, Nikko Remigio, led the team in receiving yards with 71 yards on four catches, but he was hardly the pass-catcher that popped.
After two off-seasons worth of hype, Justyn Ross caught two balls for 29 yards and a touchdown. This was the first time Ross competed in a live football game since 2021 at Clemson.
“That was awesome,” Buechele said. “Seeing the smile on his face after he caught that ball was the best part … seeing all of the hard work that he’s put in from all of his injuries. (It) was tough times for him, so for him to be out on the field, trusting his ability and executing was awesome. It was good to see.”
The aforementioned James also flashed by catching a 43-yard deep ball and bringing in a 1-yard touchdown on the same drive. He also brought his only kick return back 31 yards. He seems like he is getting acclimated to the offense quickly after putting up a career-high 569 yards with the Giants last season.
“Again, I have to look at the whole work, but he had a beautiful catch there, a couple of them,” Reid said. “That’s a good job by him. He’s a good football player. We know that. He’s got a good feel for things.”
Patrick Mahomes trotted out there for just one drive, which ended up in a turnover on downs. He completed the only two passes he threw, for 15 yards. Other than a failed Blake Bell direct snap on fourth down, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the only skilled position player to touch the ball on that drive.
The defensive stand-out was newly acquired linebacker, Drue Tranquill. The former Los Angeles Charger ended his debut with five tackles and a sack of Jameis Winston.
Other key contributors were rookie defensive backs Chamarri Conner and Kahlef Hailassie. Conner picked up a sack on a corner blitz and Hailassie was active in the second half with four tackles and he brought in the Chief's lone turnover with an interception off of Saints quarterback Jake Haener. Veteran defensive lineman Danny Shelton also sacked Winston.
Next up for week two of the preseason is the Arizona Cardinals, where Kansas City will head back to the home of Super Bowl LVII. We will see if Mahomes and Co. take more than one series when they play Aug 19 at 7 p.m. CDT.
