{"id":82373,"date":"2025-08-23T21:21:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T21:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=82373"},"modified":"2025-08-23T21:21:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T21:21:07","slug":"11-winners-and-5-losers-from-the-chiefs-preseason-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=82373","title":{"rendered":"11 winners and 5 losers from the Chiefs\u2019 preseason finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up their preseason at Arrowhead, and it was about as good as you could ask for in a loss. The first team offense was sharp, new guys got valuable reps and they avoided injuries.<\/p>\n

The Chiefs\u2019 goal this season is to protect Patrick Mahomes better and take more shots down the field, bringing the fun back to the offense. Well, the mission was accomplished in the first quarter. The first team put up 193 yards and 10 points. The defense tackled well, pressured the passer and got off the field.<\/p>\n

It was a perfect tune-up for the first team, but the final preseason is just as much about those long shots trying to make a roster. Here are a few who stood out on Friday night in Kansas City:<\/p>\n

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Left guard Kingsley Suamataia and left tackle Josh Simmons: <\/strong>The biggest offseason question may have been answered in the best possible way. Simmons has dominated the offseason headlines by not only being ahead of schedule but also by taking the blindside position from day one. He looks like a natural \u2014 a guy who could change this line for the foreseeable future. Then the attention turned to second-year man Kingsley Suamataia, the presumed successor to Joe Thuney. The new-look Chiefs offensive line was dominant against the Bears\u2019 starters. With all eyes on the left side, the future looks bright for the big guys upfront.<\/p>\n

Running back Isiah Pacheco:<\/strong> There was a lot of chatter about the Chiefs wanting an upgrade at the running back position. But Isiah Pacheco isn\u2019t hearing any of that: he\u2019s running hard and scoring touchdowns. Given what we\u2019ve seen so far, it could be a big season for Pacheco.<\/p>\n

Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton:<\/strong> The Chiefs\u2019 offense seems to always have that tall, fast guy who gets open. But this year, they seem to have one that tracks the ball and makes catches. Thornton looks the part. As a bonus, he also drew a pass interference flag \u2014 a rarity for Chiefs receivers. Write his name in pen on your 53-man rosters, folks.<\/p>\n

Wide receiver Rashee Rice: <\/strong>Social media was all abuzz when Mahomes hit Rice on the perfectly executed back-shoulder touchdown catch. Sure, deep passes are fun, but if these guys can consistently execute the back-shoulder throw, they\u2019ll be unstoppable. Rice also did what he always does and took a short pass and turned it into a longer gain.<\/p>\n

Safety Jaden Hicks:<\/strong> The new leader of the Chiefs\u2019 safety room was all over the place against the Bears. Hicks made plays in coverage and was an enforcer as a tackler. The team hasn\u2019t felt the need to add much at safety this offseason, so a lot is riding on Hicks. He seems up for the challenge.<\/p>\n

Wide receiver Jimmy Holiday: <\/strong>He only had one catch, but it was a 50-yard reception as he got behind the defense and brought it in on the sideline. However, undrafted rookies must also show they can play special teams. Holiday did his part with a great open-field tackle on kickoff coverage and returned a kick himself. He seems like an easy guy to root for and one who is making his case.<\/p>\n

Defensive end Ashton Gillotte:<\/strong> The rookie was in the backfield so fast he nearly took the handoff in the third quarter, nearly had a sack but got a questionable flag instead, had a tackle for loss by taking the running back down through the tight end and ruined a screen by getting in the quarterback\u2019s face. He plays with his hair on fire and will likely have more opportunities to shine in the regular season.<\/p>\n

Cornerback<\/strong> Kristian Fulton:<\/strong> A now-healthy Fulton played a lot of snaps, knocking the rust off after being limited for weeks. He made a big open field tackle, got a pass interference call, broke up a pass and defended another. It seems like we saw the ideal rotation for the Chiefs\u2019 corners: Jaylen Watson and Fulton outside with Trent McDuffie inside.<\/p>\n

Cornerback Kevin Knowles<\/strong>: What a night for the undrafted free agent from Florida State. He blocked an extra point and had four solo tackles. Making his presence felt on special teams and defense in his final audition, Knowles feels like someone the Chiefs will keep around on the practice squad.<\/p>\n

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: <\/strong>He had all day to throw, completed a beautiful deep ball, improvised on the run, then ran for a big gain without getting hit. Other than some early drops, his playmakers made plays. When No. 15 plays like this \u2014 with confidence in the guys around him \u2014 the result is usually an armload of trophies.<\/p>\n

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Defensive back Chamarri Conner:<\/strong> When you get hurdled on the highlight reel, you make this list. Connor struggled to tackle in this one and even got outrun by Caleb Williams going to the sideline. He\u2019ll be a key cog on this defense, so we can hope this was just an off night for Connor.<\/p>\n

Wide receiver Jason Brownlee:<\/strong> After scoring a touchdown last week, Brownlee was the<\/strong><\/em> red-zone target for the second team. Unfortunately, in this one, Brownlee was \u201calmost there\u201d on most plays. He just missed multiple back shoulder throws, ending up with one catch on four targets.<\/p>\n

Running backs Carson Steele and Kareem Hunt:<\/strong> If<\/em> the concerns about the Chiefs\u2019 running back depth are legit, these two didn\u2019t exactly reassure anyone on Friday. Steele and Hunt combined for 31 yards rushing on 8 carries. Hunt had the opportunity to complete a highlight reel play with Mahomes but dropped the pass in the end zone. Brashard Smith and Elijah Mitchell didn\u2019t have spectacular numbers either. Still, Mitchell scored a touchdown, and Smith continued to show enough as a receiver and special teams player to justify his spot.<\/p>\n

Cornerback Ajani Carter:<\/strong> Another undrafted rookie trying to make any one of 32 NFL rosters, Carter batted down a pass, but he also gave up multiple plays, including the final two throws of the game, allowing the Bears to walk away with a (preseason) victory.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> Applying the labels \u201cwinners\u201d and \u201closers is not intended to be a judgment on the talent or character of any of these players. It\u2019s just a simple way to grade their performance in a single game. No disrespect should be inferred.<\/em><\/p>\n

28 Comments<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Which Kansas City players attracted our attention during the final preseason game?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":82374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n11 winners and 5 losers from the Chiefs\u2019 preseason finale - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=82373\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"11 winners and 5 losers from the Chiefs\u2019 preseason finale - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Which Kansas City players attracted our attention during the final preseason game?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=82373\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-23T21:21:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/avtvip-43-5.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=82373\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=82373\",\"name\":\"11 winners and 5 losers from the Chiefs\u2019 preseason finale - 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