Red Friday Report: Football returns!

Chiefs vs. Niners is the perfect time to get an almost gameday look at the most recent batch of rookies and position battles.

Before things get too much farther along, I want to officially introduce a new weekly series here on Arrowhead Addict. It’s been titled the Red Friday Report and is run by yours truly. Come here to find all the pregame information you will need. I’ll do my best to gather start times and networks to watch games on. You will also find injury updates and the like here as well. Check in every Friday for your fill of everything Kansas City Chiefs!

Injury Report

The full injury report can be read here, however, there are a few highlights to touch on. The biggest names on this list are by far Tamba Hali, Cairo Santos, Travis Kelce, Eric Berry, and Chris Jones. Kicker Santos is listed as questionable with a groin injury. I can imagine that having an injury like that doesn’t play nice with a position that utilizes his legs for everything. Jones and Kelce both have knee troubles. The difference is Kelce is questionable and Jones is on the PUP list. Berry is questionable with a heel issue. Hali is on PUP for undisclosed reasons. Though, I’m sure we can all guess why, can’t we? 

Depth Chart

If you’d like to see the whole thing, click here.  The biggest things to take away from the current depth chart are Tyreek Hill starting, Patrick Mahomes is listed as the third string quarterback, and it does not appear that Tamba Hali will be in a starting role for the time being.

This is a great opportunity for Hill to show us his stuff and really make a splash. Hill exploded onto the scene with his amazing playmaking and game breaking ability. Now he’s got a chance to show off more of that talent. Mahomes being listed as third on the QB lineup is both surprising and expected. In terms of raw talent, one could make a very strong case for Mahomes to be the starter. The issue there is he is not ready for the NFL scene. This will be a good chance for him to learn and develop his skills. Should he prove himself, Mahomes could easily climb one spot up on the list.  He will not taste of starting time until Alex Smith is gone though.

Hali’s lack of a starting role has several factors at play. Age being one of those, Hali’s body just thanks to wear and tear, may not be at peak anymore. The firestorm that raged and died very quickly on Twitter may also have a hand in this, but that is all speculation for now.

Keep your eye on

If you’re one of those people who watch preseason games with the goal of observing specific players or pieces of the team, this section is for you. Keep your eye on Hill in the starting receiver role. Let’s see how he does without Jeremy Maclin on the field to draw attention away from him. Another good one is the opposite receiver Chris Conley. He will also be without a strong veteran presence. This will be a ride for all of us this season.

On defense, if Tanoh Kpassagnon is able to play, keep an eye on him. He smells very much like Chris Jones round two. If he is able to pull off the same thing that Jones did in his rookie season, Addicts we could be witnessing the creation of a dangerous defensive line. Along that same line, watch the run defense with the addition of Bennie Logan. The run defense last season was awful, Logan was brought in to remedy that situation.

Where to watch and listen

The game can be watched live on CBS and the NFL Network. Carter Blackburn and Trent Green will be giving the bulk of the commentary on CBS with B.J. Kissel on the sidelines. For the radio crowd, there will be a Spanish station (KCZZ 1480) to listen in on. You can always count on 101.1 The Fox to cover every single Chiefs game with our local legends Mitch Holthus and Len Dawson providing their exciting commentary. This game can also be streamed if you are an NFL Game Pass subscriber.

This concludes the first Red Friday Report. Thanks for reading Addicts! Which players will you be watching tonight? Anything for future versions of the Red Friday Report to keep in mind? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter. As always, thanks for reading and Go Chiefs!