The Chiefs continued their evaluation of the roster on Friday night
By Matt McMullen – Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Seattle Seahawks, 33-16, as the two teams continued the preseason on Friday night.
Seattle jumped out to an early double-digit lead and never looked back on the scoreboard, but as is the case in the preseason, the individual evaluations that took place were far more important than the final result.
“This is a good place to get some of your young guys some reps…It’s a great environment to see what you’ve got,” said Head Coach Andy Reid. “A lot of these guys are battling to make the team, and we were able to get them in there so that we can evaluate them.”
Quarterback Gardner Minshew, who started on Friday in place of Patrick Mahomes, completed 7-of-9 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown across three drives of work. The veteran passer led the Chiefs to a 3-for-4 mark on third down during his time in the game, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown strike to tight end Robert Tonyan midway through the second quarter.
“I thought Minshew had a good game,” Reid said. “I thought he handled things well, made some nice throws, [handled the] checks and all that stuff.”
The touchdown, in particular, was a great play by Minshew, who kept the play alive before firing a pass back across his body and into the waiting arms of Tonyan, who showed a great feel for space as he maneuvered his way through Seattle’s coverage. The score was part of a big night for Tonyan, who led Kansas City with four catches for 41 yards.
Tonyan’s score marked the Chiefs’ lone trip to the end zone, however, until wide receiver Skyy Moore ripped off an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The game was out of reach at that point in terms of the score, but the fact that the players still in the game – from Moore to the blocking unit – kept battling was a testament to the competition taking place up and down the roster.
In terms of injuries, linebacker Jack Cochrane (knee), cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (shoulder), cornerback Nohl Williams (concussion protocol), safety Mike Edwards (hamstring) and defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah (hamstring) left Friday’s game early.
Next up, the Chiefs will close out the preseason this upcoming Friday with a matchup against the Chicago Bears at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
