The Chiefs season began Sept. 5 against the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium. The team has had a rough start to the pre-season with a 0-3 record, losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 10, then to the Detroit Lions by 1 point, and for a third time against the Chicago Bears on Aug 22. 

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had 93 yards and completed 8 of 14 passes thrown in the game against the Lions. After losing 23-24, Mahomes spoke to reporters about some of the team’s strategies for these preseason games.

“You have got to find the right balance because you want to not put them in too much harm’s way,” Mahomes said to reporters, “But you want them to go out there and get some confidence going.”

There were definitely a lot of positive moments of the game against the Lions. Mahomes threw a behind-the-back pass towards the end of the game to tight end Travis Kelce for an eight yard gain.

“He was supposed to run a flat route” Mahomes said to an interviewer after the Lions game, “and then he doesn’t run it so out of spite I do a behind the back pass and now it’s gonna be a highlight.”

Kelce has actually been under the spotlight for a lot of the summer. He has had some notable off-season activities, from attending girlfriend Taylor Swift’s concerts in Europe to landing his first big acting role in a movie called Loose Cannons.

While Kelce has been busy with Hollywood and superstar girlfriends, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has had his work cut out for him trying to manage an inconsistent defense due to injuries and illness.

“I don’t believe we’ve had the – let’s call it our top 11, 12, or 13, [players] on the field for one play.” Spagnuolo said in an interview with USA Today, “That’s concerning and frustrating.”

Cornerback Trent McDuffie has been willing to step up and lead this Chiefs defense. Last season he played defensive back, but this season Spagnuolo asked him to play more outside in the cornerback position.

“Like I always tell Coach Spags, wherever he needs me, I’ll go and play,” McDuffie said to the USA Today, “Last year, being able to be at nickel really helped me out comfortability-wise, but being back on the outside has been really fun. Just getting back into the swing of things.”

Another player who had a stellar performance in the game against the Lions was wide-receiver Xavier Worthy. He was the Chiefs’ first round draft pick out of University of Texas, where he was ranked second-best punt returner of all time for the Longhorns. The rookie finished the game with 62 offensive yards, three completions and a touchdown.

“Xavier’s speed to be able to get through and make people honor him, sometimes two people honor him, that’s a big thing.” Head coach Andy Reid said in a post-Lions’ game press conference.

In the final preseason game against the Chicago Bears, another unexpected player ended up with four carries for 50 yards and a touchdown run where he broke multiple tackles. Fullback Carson Steele, an undrafted player out of UCLA, showed up to Chiefs training camp this summer and has been fighting for a spot on this 53 man roster.

“I’m an undrafted guy, coming into a two-time championship team,” Steele said to Chiefs Digest in a postgame interview, “but just like they said I had to take it every step of the day, and just really try to fit in where I could.”

Preseason Results: