The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Seattle Seahawks Friday night 14-13 in a defensive battle. The Chiefs are now 2-0 on the preseason.
Here are five things we learned from preseason game #2.
1. Jeremy Maclin is going to help the offense
There is no getting around it, Maclin is a huge upgrade over Dwayne Bowe. We didn’t get to see a ton of Maclin in the first preseason game, however tonight he was clearly a focus of what the Chiefs wanted to do on offense. Maclin was targeted five times and caught three passes for 22 yards and a rare WR touchdown. The former Eagles WR also had one carry for eight yards.
The big takeaway is Maclin’s versatility and ability to get open. Say what you will about the KC offense but Maclin’s a threat and his mere presence on the field is going to help other receivers and guys like Travis Kelce and Jamaal Charles to find space.
2. This defense could be special
Yes, it’s just the preseason. Still, the KC offense was pretty dang impressive while going up against Seattle’s first team offense. It took the Hawks until late in the second quarter to put a FG on the board and Seattle’s only TD in the first half came on a defensive pick six.
Tamba Hali got the night off but Dee Ford and Justin Houston did a nice job of putting pressure on Seattle QB Russell Wilson.
KC’s interior line was also strong, collapsing the pocket and stuffing the run.
In the secondary, the Chiefs did a solid job. The highlight for the first team was a picture perfect pass breakup by rookie Marcus Peters.
3. Alex Smith is garbage…not really
Yes, Alex Smith hasn’t looked very good at times this preseason. Yes, Alex threw a bad pick that lead to a Seattle touchdown.
But folks…it’s the preseason.
Everything you see in these games, you have to take with a grain of salt. We have no idea what the offense is trying to accomplish on each series. Sure, they want to move the ball but understand that the play calling is probably going to be a lot different than it will be in the regular season. The Chiefs are likely trying out new plays, new styles and new formations. It is obvious that Andy Reid has Smith purposely taking more chances and testing out the deep ball.
Smith is by no means a perfect QB but as our good friend Herm Edwards would say “don’t get it twisted.” There is plenty of tape on Alex Smith playing pretty well for the Chiefs and the 49ers. Don’t let a handful of snaps in meaningless exhibition games force you to have a meltdown.
The same goes for Chase Daniel.
4. DJ is back
He didn’t play a ton but it was great to see Derrick Johnson out on the field doing Derrick Johnson things. He slashed through the line to cause his usual havoc in the backfield racking up four tackles in limited time. Don’t underestimate how important having DJ back will be to the KC run defense and defense as a whole.
5. The offensive line is a work in progress
The starting offensive line group was, well, offensive. With some new faces on the line and with Eric Fisher out with an injury, the KC line struggled against a formidable Seattle defense. The highlight of the night was when Jamaal Charles was tackled by LDT. It was pretty brutal. There will likely be a GIF.
Bonus: We (re)learned that the preseason doesn’t matter. Yes, you can evaluate some things from watching these games but what really matters is how the Chiefs play when the games matter and how the team evolves and comes together throughout the season.
The Chiefs are still putting things together. That is what training camp and the preseason is for. Remember, the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots looked terrible early on in the first quarter of the 2014 season.
There is a lot of talent on this team. Take a deep breath. We have a long way to go.