What stood out in Chiefs' second preseason game

Takeaways from Friday night's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks

Anyone expecting to see the Chiefs’ star power on the field Friday night against the Seattle Seahawks came away disappointed.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid, however, strongly hinted Wednesday that most of the starters — including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones, among others — weren’t likely to play the second preseason contest.

Reid stayed true to his words, and people tuning in to watch the matchup were treated to backups galore on both sides in the Seahawks’ 33-16 win.

Friday night’s contest wasn’t pretty for the Chiefs.

Seattle’s offense, led by former Missouri Tigers quarterback Drew Lock, outpaced the Chiefs by a wide margin, 477-156 in net yards. Seattle’s ground game consistently found success and finished with 268 yards rushing on 48 combined carries.

But fear not because this is preseason, an annual period in August sure to prompt overreaction even without the Chiefs’ primary starters in the game.

That won’t be the case here.

Instead, let’s dive into a few areas that stood out.

RETURNER COMPETITION

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub hasn’t been shy about heaping praise on wide receiver Nikko Remigio as his kickoff returner.

But rookie wide Jalen Royals, rookie running back Brashard Smith, rookie wide receiver Key’Shawn Smith and wide receiver Tyquan Thornton might give Toub something to think about.

Royals paced the group with a return for 49 yards, while Key’Shawn Smith had a return for 34 yards, Brashard Smith had a return for 26 yards and Thornton chipped in with a return for 24 yards.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Skyy Moore turned heads in the fourth quarter with an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Moore, who has been buried on the wide receiver depth chart during training camp, needed a big play as he battles for a roster spot.

EFFICIENCY

Minshew produced an efficient outing with his two drives before giving way to Chris Oladokun.

Minshew helped guide the Chiefs’ offense on a 10-play drive on his first series, which eventually stalled at the Seahawks’ 15-yard line when fullback Carson Steele was stopped on a fourth-and-1 play.

The backup signal-caller then capped off an 8-play, 50-yard drive when he found tight end Robert Tonyan in the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown pass.

Minshew finished the game completing 7-of-9 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown for a 136.1 passer rating.

While Minshew won’t see a lot of action in the regular season, barring an injury to Mahomes, he at least showed over the past two preseason games that he could move the offense.

DON’T READ TOO MUCH INTO THIS

Jaylon Moore drew the start at right tackle, but this might be by design because the Chiefs will be cautious with Jawaan Taylor’s knee when playing on artificial turf.

Taylor started training camp on the physical unable to perform (PUP) list, but he took virtually all the first-team repetitions at right tackle when he returned.

Sure, the Chiefs rotated Moore at right tackle during training camp, but this is likely Taylor’s job.

NORMAN-LOTT’S ANKLE

Rookie defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott appeared to aggravate an ankle injury suffered early in training camp.

Norman-Lott, though, had the ankle taped and returned to the game.

This is something to watch ahead of the regular season, though, as the Chiefs used a second-round draft pick on Norman-Lott with a view to him being a key contributor on the defensive line.

INJURY FRONT

Cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (shoulder) and linebacker Jack Cochrane (knee) were ruled shortly after halftime after suffering their respective injuries.

Rookie cornerback Nohl Williams entered the concussion protocol late in the contest, while safety Mike Edwards left with a hamstring injury.

Johnson has mostly worked with the first-team defense during training camp with Kristian Fulton (knee) working back in the rotation upon returning from the PUP list. The Chiefs’ top three cornerbacks project as Fulton, Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.

Johnson, Williams and Edwards provide depth to the defensive secondary.

Cochrane, a special teams standout, provides depth to the linebacker corps.

UP NEXT

The Chiefs close out the preseason by hosting the Chicago Bears at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Friday, Aug. 22.

Roster cuts to the initial 53-player roster are scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Aug. 26.