Post Game Review: Seattle Seahawks Steal One From Kansas City Chiefs 17-16

The game has come and gone and the rabid Kansas City Chiefs fans are pulling out of the parking lot at Arrowhead stadium. As we all sit back and digest the first preseason game pitting the Chiefs against the Seattle Seahawks, I’ve got some postgame breakdown for you to digest.   First, the starting offense was “as advertised.” Quarterback Alex Smith is in full command of this offense. He hasn’t lost a step during the offseason, and if anything, he’s gotten smarter. Though Smith’s stat line was only three for four and 34 yards of passing, his scrambling, throw-on-the-run pass to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on third and nine set up the Chiefs’ opening drive touchdown beautifully.

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In regards to the receivers, there was no clear contender that pulled in front of anyone else as the “number two” WR behind Jeremy Maclin. First-year Chief and former Oakland Raider Rod Streater made a great grab from newly inked quarterback Nick Foles–fighting through a pass interference from his defender–on the sideline. It was probably the best catch of the game.

As for the running backs, it appears Spencer Ware may be the backup behind Jamaal Charles when he returns. His hard-nosed running style was fun to watch, and resulted in a house call for him on the opening drive for the No. 1’s. This is no knock on West, however. His striding running style resulted in several decent runs when the “two’s” took the field after the opening drive.

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When those two’s took the field, the offense looked considerably less explosive. While the Chiefs opened the game with a touchdown, they wouldn’t find the end zone for the rest of the game, instead, settling for three field goals.   The defense looked a bit soft to start the game. Granted, the team is missing safety Eric Berry (who didn’t play because of contract issues), outside linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali (sidelined because of injury recovery) and cornerback Sean Smith who left the team for stinkier pastures in the Oakland ghetto, they still didn’t have the hard-hitting style they played with last season. The one bright spot on the opening defensive drive, was an interception by last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, Marcus Peters to rob Seahawk’s QB Russell Wilson of his only potential TD pass of the game.

The run defense didn’t look that great with the “one’s” however some of the backups played a bit better. Some of the highlights came from linebackers Justin March and Ramik Wilson who made several plays on defense.

Kicker Cairo Santos was definitely a high point. He made field goals from 28, 49 and 58 yards. While the 58-yarder didn’t count as part of his “official” stats, it’s key to note that his previous career-long kick was 53 yards.

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Another thing worth mentioning was the play of the Chiefs’ offensive line. Local Chiefs announcer Trent Green made mention of it during the broadcast, but last season the team’s line continued to shuffle well into the fifth or sixth game of the season. After the way they played today, I think the current line looks pretty solid. They played well into the first quarter to maximize their snaps together.

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Rookie quarterback Kevin Hogan didn’t look fantastic in his first outing, though he did complete some passes. However his first drive was cut short when he threw an interception into triple coverage. Prior to that, though, he didn’t look too shabby. I’ll chalk that one up to first game jitters.

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All in all, this wasn’t a bad showing for the first preseason game. The starting offense looked exactly how we hoped they would. They were crisp, they were sharp and they put one in the end zone. That’s exactly what you hope to see from your starters. As for the backups, I think some of the players on the bubble made a significant argument as to why they should be on this roster over some other players. I’ll go more in depth on those later this week when I take my second crack at the Chiefs’ final 53-man roster. But just a sneak preview, I think tight end Ross Travis makes the team.

In what was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen, with no time left on the clock, Seahawks backup quarterback Tyler Boykin heaved the ball into the end zone and found Tanner McEvoy in the end zone for the Seahawks only touchdown of the game. Then, with no time left, they converted the two point conversion and stole the game away from the Chiefs.   But…there were no significant injuries to report. 

Despite what the scoreboard said at the end of the game, head coach Andy Reid got some good tape to work on this week in practice and all of his players back mostly healthy. That’s a win no matter what the preseason record says.

What did you think of the Chiefs’ first preseason outing? Did you see everything you hoped for? Sound off in the comment section below.