Chiefs vs. Cardinals: Five important angles to watch for

2. Shane Buechele vs. Blaine Gabbert

Everything the Chiefs are showing us tells us there is no competition here. However, Buechele has been stashed away on the Chiefs roster for years now, even after the Cardinals tried to claim him in 2021. 

Buechele was drafted out of SMU, but let’s not forget that he was once highly touted enough to begin his college career at the University of Texas. In seven career preseason games, Buechele has tossed 912 yards and eight touchdowns on just 124 attempts. 

To put that in perspective, that is 7.35 yards per attempt, Mahomes has a career 8.1 yards per attempt and Blaine Gabbert owns a career 3.6 yards per attempt. The point: Buechele is the more exciting player at this point, and if he continues to play like he did last Sunday where he threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns, he will have to force Reid into thinking it might be time to go young with the number two quarterback slot.

Mahomes has been around the league long enough that having a veteran backup should not be a prerequisite. Buechele might give the Chiefs the best option to win games in a pinch. We will have to see which backup quarterback plays with which offensive line and receiving corps, because that matters in evaluation, too.

3. Will Deneric Prince run with the first-team offensive line?

There has been plenty of hype this offseason in regard to undrafted free agent running back Deneric Prince. Some cold water was thrown on that after the Saints game last Sunday after he turned out 14 yards on 4 carries. 

So much of running back success is dependent on the offensive line, so it would be wise to reserve judgment on Prince until we see him with the first team unit. Clyde Edwards-Helaire got all the carries with the starting five and tallied seven yards on three carries. Prince may find himself in a better situation this week. 

Another thing to think about is that let’s not let the success of Isiah Pacheco affect the expectations of Prince. For every Pacheco, there is a Darwin Thompson. 

The Chiefs will be alright if Prince spends the year developing and returning kicks. If the Chiefs keep Clyde Edwards-Helaire, there is plenty of depth there.