Preseason games are a chance for players to earn roster spots and playing time. This week several Kansas City Chiefs wasted that chance versus the Steelers.
The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night by a score of 17-7. If you missed it and want some expert insight into how the game played out, here you go: it was a boring, uneventful, uninspired, rain-delayed, snoozefest of a game where only a handful of Chiefs did anything even close to being worthy of their place on the roster. If I had to boil the game down to one word it would be: disappointing.
I’m one of those people that love preseason games. I’m enough of a roster nerd that I love seeing guys on the bubble battling it out for those final spots. I’m actually interested in who the backup offensive linemen are. I even pay attention to which reserve players are making tackles on special teams because I know that could have a greater impact on who makes that final spot on the 53 man roster than their performance at their actual position.
So when I say that the Chiefs second preseason game was disappointing, it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that Patrick Mahomes only played for half a quarter (although one more drive would have been nice). It doesn’t even have anything to do with the fact that the Chiefs lost the game. It has to do with the fact that I didn’t see enough of those bottom of the roster guys stepping up and earning their spot.
At one point in the fourth quarter a field mic picked up a Pittsburgh player yelling “they wanna go home” to the Steelers’ offense as they continued to eat up clock against a mostly listless Chiefs defense. Sadly, that’s an accurate description of how 90 percent of the Chiefs looked for the entire game.
Let me be clear. My outlook on the Chiefs season wasn’t changed in the slightest way by this sad performance. The Chiefs are absolutely Super Bowl contenders and if they played the Steelers again this weekend—meaning the game counted—I would confidently pick the Chiefs to win the game.
What bugged me is that many of the players that are still fighting for playing time or a spot on the roster wasted a very good opportunity to earn those jobs in this game. If that continues, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Chiefs looked for players not currently on the roster to take those jobs when rosters cut down in a couple more weeks.
Before I get to the Chiefs that wasted their opportunity I do want to acknowledge five players that I believe took advantage of the time they were given to help solidify their role on the team.
Mecole Hardman
Two preseason games, two touchdowns for Hardman. I loved how he reached up and plucked one on Saturday with his hands. Hardman is clearly more than just a fast guy and return man, he’ll have a real role in the offense.
Tanoh Kpassagnon
Kpass continues to look like a new man in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. He played a lot last night and what was really impressive is that he was still flashing late in the third quarter when a lot of the Chiefs defense looked gassed.
Ben Niemann
Niemann will never be a star player in the NFL but if you want to see someone who is always going full blast and around the ball, Niemann is your guy. I won’t be surprised if he gets some first string reps once the season starts.
Darwin Thompson
Thompson is just flat out better than both Carlos Hyde and Darrel Williams. He’s flashed real NFL playmaking ability in both games and should clearly be the guy that spells starter Damien Williams when the games matter.
Cody Thompson
Marcus Kemp looked like a lock to make the roster but as I type this it is believed he tore his ACL in Saturday’s game. While I’m sure Thompson wouldn’t have wanted that to happen, the fact that he stepped up and almost out produced all the other wideouts combined on Saturday right as another WR roster spot may have opened up was huge for him.
Now that we’ve covered the little bit of good from the game, here are the Chiefs that I believe most needed to step up on Saturday and didn’t.