Chiefs Preseason Game 3:
OPEN THREAD
by Laddie Morse
Finally, some half way meaningful football will take place today. First, my apologies to the fans of the Chicago Bears, this is obviously your 4th preseason game because of the Hall of Fame game, while it is the Chiefs 3rd. So, let me ask you Bears fans… is this like your second preseason game 3? How does that work?
The Peek-a-Boo Defense
Chiefs fans have their own concerns, namely, the defense. I call it he Peek-a-Boo Defense because we have only had a peek here and there at the different parts. Today will mark the first time the ILB pair of Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens have appeared in a Chiefs uniform together — ON THE FIELD — during a game of any kind and not just practice. Of course, Mr. Safety, Eric Berry, “Who’s still recovering, but doing good,” according to Mr. Head Coach, but he won’t make an appearance in this game.
The Scary Good Offense
The Chiefs offense has been a work in progress… or so good it’s scary to think about. Yes, half the national media is still abuzz about Patrick Mahomes 150 yard TD pass to Tyreek “Faster than the Speed of Light” Hill. Hill claims that no one, not even Platinum Mahomes, can out throw him on any given route. Although I’d like to see a dozen or so TDs first out of this Super Pair, I can’t wait for the day that Platinum goes longer than Hill can run. It is possible you know!
“Isn’t that special”… Teams
I’d like to see one whole game (and then another… and another…) without any penalties on the special teams covering on punts and kicks. Sure, the Chiefs didn’t invite any other kickers or punters to camp this year because, well, because they didn’t need to (P Dustin Colquitt and K Harrison Butker are just that good), but let’s have some self-discipline and just block it up the way it was designed without any holding or blocking in the back. That… would be special.
Speaking of Penalties…
It looks like the team has picked up right where they left off last year… sitting in the penalty box… oh wait, that’s hockey. We’ll if there was a penalty box, the Chiefs would have someone in there all the time. Do you know how many times the Chiefs were penalized vs the Falcons last week? Hint: think, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:”
Yep… NINE TIMES! In 2017, the Chiefs were penalized 126 times which was enough to rank the third worst team in the league for yards penalized. I can recall the days when it was the Raiders who consistently held this Mickey Mouse mantle (see what I did there?). Here’s the real butt-kicker, the Chiefs were penalized for 1,112 total yards. If that doesn’t change, it won’t matter how good their offense has become. Some will say it’s the difficulty of the offense that has players confused too often. I really don’t care because I know it’s not brain science we’re talking about here. You certainly can’t make those claims on special team, that’s for sure.
Matt Nagy vs Andy Reid
This game may have a little more intrigue for fans because Matt Nagy was the Chiefs OC last year and is now the Bears HC. Will Nagy’s offense mirror Reid’s at all. You can be sure of that but Nagy was the one who simplified things last year which helped the Chiefs climb out of their losing streak so I expect Nagy to make it simple for his young QB as well. I actually think that Reid might like to beat his old buddy Brad Childress, who’s now in Chicago, after saying he had retired from the Chiefs earlier this offseason. Otherwise, I think Reid likes to see his underlings excel, even if they surpass him… it’s an ego thingy.
Three Quarters for the Chiefs 1st team
The Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Chicago Bears, it ought to be a good one… if you enjoy watching ones vs twos. That’s right… it’s the answer to the question I posed in paragraph one: the Bears real week three was last week and now Matt Nagy will rest his starters today. I guess the Bears fans will be treated to two week fours in a row.
For the Chiefs? Andy Reid has said he wants his first team to play three quarters and for Patrick Mahomes to know what it’s like to make half time adjustments and come out of half time executing those changes. If the 1st team does well, I doubt we’ll see them through the whole 3rd quarter but I think the 1st team offense needs the reps together so I hope they stay in the game that long. The reason that’s important is often unspoken: it’s because the 4th (last) game of the preseason is pointedly used to evaluate players 45-through-90 because the team must cutdown to the final 53 after that game.
So, there you have it… a half way meaningful game… with exactly 15 days to go before the Chiefs travel to L.A. to meet the Chargers in game one of the regular season. Go Chiefs!
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