The Kansas City Chiefs didn\u2019t look very sharp during Friday night\u2019s 33-16 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But while the Seahawks rolled to victory on the backs of their dominant rushing performance \u2014 racking up 174 rushing yards in the first half and 268 overall \u2014 the Chiefs used the game to test its young players and evaluate their depth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great environment out here to see what you\u2019ve got,\u201d head coach Andy Reid told reporters during his postgame press conference. \u201cA lot of these guys are battling to make the team. We were able to get them in there so we can evaluate them. I thought [in] this game here, that was [the] most important. The \u2018ones\u2019 will get a little more time next week as we go forward on Thursday. But again, there are always some good things \u2014 [and] a lot of things we can learn \u2014 from here, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quarterback Gardner Minshew was one of the few veterans to get extended action, leading two drives. His first ended in frustration when the Chiefs stalled on a fourth-and-one at the Seahawks\u2019 15-yard line, but he responded with a sharp second series capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Robert Tonyan.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a super-smart player,\u201d Minshew said, praising the seventh-year tight end who\u2019s battling for a spot on the roster. \u201cHe has a great feel for space; [he] just got out there. He\u2019s working with me. It was a good play by him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minshew finished the night completing 7-of-9 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. While disappointed with the missed opportunity on the opening drive, he was ultimately pleased to get valuable snaps with the starters.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime you get out there and get reps, it\u2019s a good time,\u201d he noted. \u201cGlad to be working with some of the \u2018ones,\u2019 just get my communication right \u2014 to be able to go out there and operate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Reid weighed in on several roster battles. Although he said that the offensive line was just \u201cokay\u201d and would need further review on film, Reid was more candid about wide receiver Skyy Moore. The former second-round pick struggled with drops on both offense and special teams before redeeming himself with an 88-yard punt return touchdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a lot better than that,\u201d Reid said of Moore\u2019s miscues. \u201cHe had three bobbles and drops, [both on] special teams and with throws. [He] came back with a big play, so I\u2019m proud of him for that. It wasn\u2019t his best night up to that point.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the night belonged to the Seahawks on the scoreboard, the Chiefs benefitted by building depth, identifying contributors and letting players like Minshew find rhythm in live action. Patrick Mahomes and other key starters rested for this one, but Reid didn\u2019t rule out playing his star quarterback when the Chiefs return home to face the Chicago Bears in their final preseason game on Friday<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll give you all that as we get closer,\u201d Reid said of Mahomes\u2019 playing time next week. \u201cYeah\u2026 there\u2019s a chance to get more work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kansas City\u2019s head coach and backup quarterback were encouraged by some things they saw in Friday\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":78892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n