Chiefs win nailbiter in final preseason game over Browns
Tyler Brown
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid typically uses the final preseason game to rest the key contributors and give the second and third teams their opportunity to shine. Reid continued that tendency today and his team rewarded him with a 19-point comeback win that included a game-sealing blocked field goal with 12 seconds to go.
GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium was well-attended and noticeably loud for a preseason crowd. The Chiefs gave them as entertaining of a game as a preseason game can be in a final tune-up game. Kansas City rewarded the rocking crowd with a 33-32 victory over the Cleveland Browns as they stand three days from cut-down day and 12 from week one against the Detroit Lions.
“I appreciate the fight the guys had throughout the game,” Reid said. “It was great to get the twos and threes the work they did. Again, this helps Brett (Veach) in the final evaluation and it helps the guys that don’t make the team have an opportunity to hook on somewhere else with the tape that they put out there.”
The makeup of the roster was mostly set coming into this week three preseason game, with a few exceptions. Those exceptions included, but were not limited to the the quarterback two vacancy, the final roster spots at running back, wide receiver and cornerback.
The backup quarterback spot became more clear after today's matchup with the Browns and left a little to be desired as well. It appeared Shane Buechele had the edge coming into the game over former Mizzou quarterback, Blaine Gabbert because the third-year quarterback started the game against the Browns. Buechele was also the second quarterback in the game last week against the Arizona Cardinals after Patrick Mahomes.
Both quarterbacks threw pick-sixes, but Gabbert faired better overall. This position was opened when Chad Henne retired after winning the Super Bowl in February. Henne had a knack for stabilizing a game when Mahomes was forced to exit the field due to injury.
Gabbert showed more of that ability today as he went 10 for 18, throwing for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Buechele threw two interceptions, along with his lone touchdown and had less than a 50 percent completion percentage.
“I saw some good things (with the quarterbacks) and a couple of things we need to work on,” Reid said. “Obviously too many turnovers. They cost us points, so you can’t have that – for sure. There were some good things in there too.”
As for the final running back spot, the thought coming into camp was that it was undrafted rookie Deneric Prince’s job to lose. It has been apparent over the last few weeks that he was letting that claim slip away. His competition is former fourth-round pick, LaMical Perine, who had an efficient game today.
Perine was all over the field, rushing four times for 32 yards and catching three passes for 44 yards. One of those catches he broke through several tackles to find the endzone. Prince faired well himself rushing for 45 yards on 12 carries. He also returned all of the Chiefs' kick returns, so we will have to see what that means come cutdown day.
“I liked what I saw (out of Perine),” Reid said. “He did a nice job. He played really well. Had balance, he can catch well, he can see everything pretty clearly.”
There are six or seven wide receiver spots available on the final 53-man roster, according to Andy Reid. Who knows what kind of roster juggling there will be between Tuesday and the night of week one, but it appears that all eight of Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice, Richie James, Justin Watson, Justyn Ross and Ihmir Smith-Marsette are all strong candidates.
Both Smith-Marsette and Justyn Ross put their final best foot forward today when they needed to the most. Smith-Marsette was overall more productive, hauling in 101 yards and a touchdown on just four catches. Smith-Marsette also took back every punt of the game for the Chiefs, but that could have been more about getting Richie James off his feet. If he does not make this team, Smith-Marsette has showcased well for other organizations around the league after racking up 195 yards this preseason.
Ross, however, may help the Chiefs fit more of a niche role by being a big-bodied, go-up-and-get-it type of wide receiver. He showcased those skills today bringing in his second touchdown of the preseason on a back-shoulder fade from Buechele.
With cornerback Nazeeh Johnson out for the season and the uncertainty of the L’Jarius Sneed and Nic Jones injuries, there are a few defensive backs battling for final roster spots as well. Kahlef Hailassie and Ekow Boye-Doe are two undrafted rookies fighting to fill those spots.
Ekow Boye-Doe was first in the game, playing with some of the first-team defensive players and made a tackle in his 23 snaps. Hailassie was a bit more active, batting down a ball and getting a tackle for a loss to go along with his three tackles on 28 snaps.
The backup defense looked stout against the Browns, but perhaps some of the most encouraging news today was that Tershawn Wharton got back on the field for the first time since early last season. Wharton started, filling in for Chris Jones who still has not reported to the team.
Healthy starters that Reid did not have take any snaps included Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Valdez-Scantling and Nick Bolton. Running back Isiah Pacheco also took a carry for the first time since Super Bowl 57 following offseason shoulder and hand surgeries.
Notable injury updates that Reid noted included second-year linebacker Leo Chenal exiting with a hip pointer after recovering a fumble on the first drive of the game. He stated that Kadarius Toney is day to day with his knee injury and that it is possible he returns to practice soon. Also, Nic Jones’ finger fractures did not require surgery, which seemed to be good news.
We should be getting more and more clarity on the ongoing roster construction and dilemmas in the coming days. The Chiefs will suit up next against the Detroit Lions on September 7th at 7:20 p.m. CDT, as they hang their third Super Bowl banner.
