Chiefs Defeat Bengals In Preseason Opener

It wasn’t pretty but it was football, and in early August, that’s all we can really ask for.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 41-39 in a sloppy, exciting, big-play fest that featured a little bit of everything. De’Anthony Thomas sprinted for a dazzling punt return touchdown at the end of the first quarter, Sean Smith and Malcolm Bronson each had interceptions returned for touchdowns, and Travis Kelce had a 69-yard touchdown catch-and-run to highlight the victory.

Here are a few quick thoughts about the team after the win.

– Don’t be surprised if Sean Smith is back with the first team after Ron Parker’s struggles Thursday night. Parker was beaten with ease several times by A.J. Green and was flagged twice for illegal use of hands. Meanwhile, Smith defended very well, including jumping a route to intercept a pass and return it for a touchdown. Smith had been improving in practice over the last few days and it showed up Thursday. It’ll likely show up on the depth chart on Friday, too.

– De’Anthony Thomas is for real. His punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter was something to behold, and was enough to catch the attention of just about everyone around the country. His speed and quickness were evident in practice when AA went up there last weekend and it showed up in the game tonight. The kid is going to be something special.

– Albert Wilson did nothing to hurt his chances of making the roster, returning a kickoff for 65 yards and adjusting well on a few pass that were thrown poorly to him. With much of his competition either out due to injury or not performing well in the game, Wilson would seem to have an inside track of making this team.

– Malcolm Bronson was everywhere tonight, and was a favorable camera angle away from having two interceptions. He’s very athletic and fast, and has the experience of playing at safety, corner, and nickel. He could be the valuable piece the Chiefs need to help stabilize the secondary.

– Dee Ford, Phillip Gaines, and Zach Fulton, all rookie draft picks, turned in solid performances in their first preseason game. I’m most interested to see what they contribute in week three when the starters see more snaps. We’ll have a better idea of how all three will fit in by then.

– This is the first week of the preseason, so it is not wise to read too much into anything that happened today. For the most part it looks like the Chiefs came out without any significant injuries and show some good flashes in addition to some things they need to work on. All should be good in Chiefs Kingdom.