The NFL’s fourth preseason game is always one of the weirdest events of the year. On one hand, I am eager to consume anything called a “game” played by athletes wearing Chiefs uniforms, but the fourth preseason game always presents questionable value as a viewer.
First, they’re almost always played by desperate bottom-of-the-roster guys who haven’t gotten many reps in practice and so it is guaranteed to be a sloppy, poorly played affair. Plus, roughly half of the players you see out there on the field for your team will never wear that jersey again.
I’ve seen a lot of Chiefs commenters freaking out about the 14-34 final score. Don’t. This was the most meaningless of a series of meaningless games played mostly by guys who won’t make the team. Furthermore, not only was there no game plan, but the coaches mostly put the players in guinea-pig situations to see how they’d fare rather than actually try and put points on the board in a competitive way. If you dispute this, take a look at the Chiefs’ decision to go for it on 4th and 22 on the 48 yard-line.
But, as meaningless as this game was on the macro level, it was critically important on the micro level as it changed the lives of several players on the bubble. Some get will continue their playing careers with the Chiefs, some will never suit up in professional play again.
Here are five players whose lives I think are about to change based on this ugly matchup in Green Bay.