Chiefs preseason: Observations from the first game

Watching the Kansas City Chiefs play against the Arizona Cardinals was rough for the first 10 minutes of the game. Arizona came out and took the ball down the field against the Chiefs defense in a way that we didn’t see last year.

A long 57-yard pass play on a short underneath route by Andre Ellington put the Cardinals in position for first and goal. Three plays later the Cardinals ran the ball across the goal line when Marcus Peters was just a split-second slow filling the hole to stop Ellington short of the goal line.

– The first play on offense saw Alex Smith target Jeremy Maclin deep down the left sideline and just missing him. After a first down to Travis Kelce the Chiefs offense sputtered and Smith threw an interception while a delayed blitzing linebacker hit him. For all Smith’s faults over the past two years, he showed more trust in his receivers on Saturday than he has ever before with Kansas City

– Eric Berry was the story of the night in Phoenix. The Cardinals welcomed him back to the NFL with a sign on their replay board before the game started. Berry didn’t play much of the game only seeing nine snaps, but to come back from lymphoma and radiation therapy only eight months after the initial diagnosis is remarkable.

He is not starting currently as the Chiefs are easing him into playing and seeing how his body responds. Berry was named one of the Chiefs captains for the game and shared a touching moment on the sideline with his mother before the game started. He is an inspiration to all with the passion he plays the game and the love he has for what he does.

Next: Players that stood out on offense