Chiefs vs. Texans: Key takeaways for Kansas City

A forgettable night for Patrick Mahomes doesn’t mean that there weren’t players of note for Chiefs fans to be excited about.

The gathered crowd of thousands at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night might have been left dissatisfied at the preseason debut of Patrick Mahomes, but there were plenty of fellow Kansas City Chiefs teammates for fans to be excited about. While the Chiefs lost to the visiting Houston Texans 17-10 in the preseason opener for both teams, there were some players who really took advantage of the playing time given to them to stand out.

To help shake off the frustrations of the loss, let’s highlight some things that we’re (still) excited about along with some other takeaways we believe are worth mentioning:

Growing Pains

Let’s  be quite clear: the growing pains are going to be there for Patrick Mahomes and this Chiefs offense. Despite the proven playmakers, the man under center is still a first-year starter. Mistakes will be made. Opportunities will be missed. Lessons will be learned.

The opening preseason salvo for Mahomes wasn’t anything memorable to be certain, but the reality is that he looked sharp on a couple key throws to Travis Kelce and his protection largely ranged from below average to downright pitiful during his limited first quarter opportunities—the same quarter that saw Brandon Weeden march for a 12-play score. Mahomes was forced to sit on the bench in a time when being on the field would likely have helped work out any extra emotion and/or adrenaline.

One thing is clear: Mahomes has the moxie and the arm and will enjoy plenty of good performances to come as well. The primary thing is that he’s able to quickly learn and move on from these nights, which is exactly the mental aptitude the coaches have praised since Mahomes first arrived.

In other words, the kid will be all right.

Staying Healthy

Forget the final score already because you won’t remember it one month from now. You might as well forget most of the individual performances as well, or at least avoid reading a box score and making assumptions. Tonight was all about evaluation anyway.

That said, what makes for a successful preseason game is not about who wins or loses but about which teams, are able to avoid major injuries and stay healthy. The Chiefs saw trainers attend to a couple back-up interior linemen along the offensive front (Jimmy Murray and Ethan Cooper) but for the most part, the Chiefs are feeling good.

Secondary is Still Suspect

If you were worried heading into Thursday night’s game about the Chiefs secondary, you saw nothing at Arrowhead Stadium to ease your concerns about the unit’s ability to get the job done. The Texans marched at will under the guidance of Brandon Weeden (yes, that Brandon Weeden), and several Chiefs pass defenders got burned early and often—from rookies to veterans.

D’Montre Wade showed some real potential with the second unit. Arrion Springs looks the part at times. Tremon Smith is certainly fast. But overall, the Chiefs need someone—anyone!—to seize the brass ring and take advantage of the opportunity in front of him for real playing time.

If Brett Veach wanted to give his young players a chance to show what they can do, the early results are middling. Being stubborn can be a good thing in the face of fans who simply want Veach to make a move just because. But if the early returns stay as negative as they were on Thursday, then look for Veach to maybe peel back the stubborn streak for the sake of a roster move.

Bright Young Talent

A few players stood out including some that already had our attention. A quick rundown:

• Demarcus Robinson – The emerging wide receiver has always had the athleticism, but it takes a couple years for  WR in Andy Reid’s offense for everything to click. Robinson looked like things were starting to gel last year in the playoffs and he’s looked exemplary in Chiefs camp so far. Tonight he clearly had some chemistry with Chad Henne and caught a beautiful touchdown throw that highlighted the talents of both.
• Ben Niemann – The Iowa product has already drawn rave reviews from Dave Toub for his toughness and special teams prowess, but the undrafted free agent has looked the part on defense as well—as shown by his performance on Thursday. The Chiefs hav some difficuolt decisions to make in the middle of the defense and Niemann is making it that much harder.
• Chase Litton – For those of us wanting the Chiefs to carry a developmental quarterback, it helps if he’s able to engineer long drives like the 90-yard one that Litton carried in the fourth. Yes, the Chiefs failed to convert on first-and-goal there at the end, but they were privileged to be there after Litton hit tight end Alex Ellis and wideout Byron Pringle with nice strikes in the fourth. With more solid performances, Matt McGloin might be out as No. 3 QB.
• Damien Williams – The Chiefs running backs have looked solid in the preseason, none more so than Damien Williams. The former Miami Dolphins runner has looked great early on for the Chiefs as a two-way threat who is a serious competitor. After one week in the preseason, it’s clear that he doesn’t shy away from game time and that what you see in practice is what you get on a Sunday.

Offensive Line Concerns

We mentioned the concerns we had along the offensive line when it came to Patrick Mahomes early but the Chiefs were also dealing with injuries to a couple guys hoping to make the active roster with a successful training camp. Ethan Cooper is a recently claimed guard from the Green Bay Packer and he was being attended to by trainers. The same can be said of Jimmy Murray of Holy Cross.

Beyond just the injuries, the Texans had their way with the Chiefs offensive line when it counted the most. Mahomes was scrambling for most of the night, and in general, protection was poor throughout the night. Will Cam Erving settle in at left guard? Is Mitch Morse fully healthy and ready? Will any young player step up to help fill in the gaps?  A lot of questions remain for the Chiefs.