Chiefs-Jaguars preseason: 5 things we learned

Preseason games are fun because there’s not much at stake. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, but you still care too much about the result and analyze every move as if the guy ranked 53rd on the list is Neil Smith reincarnated.

It is also the first time that we have Kansas City Chiefs Play football. The preseason means the return from our painful Football-without Exodus into the desert in the off-season.

To celebrate, here are five things to think about in the Chiefs’ first preseason game of the year against the Jacksonville Jaguars:

1. The Chiefs (and the NFL) are still adjusting to the new kickoff rules

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It is not the strongest or the fastest that survives, but the most adaptable. Against the Jaguars, the Chiefs’ special teams seemed more than unprepared; they did not seem ready for the way the game developed. On Jacksonville’s first possession, Kansas City allowed a 73-yard kickoff return, which gave the Jaguars an easy point on a short field.

On the Chiefs’ next possession, Leo Chenal was called for holding on the kickoff, forcing the Chiefs back to their own 20-yard line.

The worst blunder, however, fell to Mecole Hardman, who let the ball land in the end zone with 25 seconds left in the half and then bounced back onto the field. He leaned forward, picked the ball up from the field and knelt in the end zone, giving himself a safety.

Despite all the discussions about the new kickoff rules and preparations in the offseason, the Chiefs seemed completely lost.

2. The sky is not falling, but it could

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Many teams don’t let their stars play in the preseason because they’re afraid of injury. Andy Reid doesn’t live by that philosophy. He believes that both starters and reserves need practice to prepare for the rigors of the regular season, and who could argue with the man who has won three Super Bowls in the last five years?

However, for a team that is already weakened by many injuries, there is a chance that it will not be able to cope with the loss of so many important players if the player base continues to decline.

Nick Bolton was out of the game with an injury and the linebackers looked questionable for much of the game. The Chiefs struggled in the secondary with players like Justin Reid, Nazeeh Johnson and others ineligible to play.

With the recent news that Hollywood Brown suffered a sternoclavicular joint dislocation and the looming legal battle involving Rashee Rice, the Chiefs may need to shift their priorities to keeping targets open for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

3. Carson is the “real man of Steele”

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Andy Reid loves fullbacks. Last season was the first since becoming Kansas City’s head coach that he chose to play without one, and the Chiefs struggled in short-yardage situations.

To fix this problem, the Chiefs brought in undrafted rookie free agent Carson Steele.

He was at his best in his first game, rushing for 29 yards and scoring a touchdown on just four carries. And while those are good numbers considering the amount of opportunities he got, it was his blond Hulk-like style in doing so that made every fan fall in love with his rugged running style.

Even if you don’t catch Steele running around the guys, you see him speeding through them like he’s the Kool-Aid man and they’re a freshly painted kitchen wall.

Isn’t it more fun to watch as a fan?

4. No one shone as a cornerback

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Today we learned that we still don’t know who the Chiefs’ starting cornerback will be at the outside position opposite Trent McDuffie. With Nazeeh Johnson and Kelvin Joseph out for this game, it was Joshua Williams’ chance to shine and show the coaches that he is the one to take the open starting spot.

Instead, Williams had a very inconsistent game. He was beaten on a long pass in the first half and I’m not sure he has the agility to keep up with receivers in the open field.

At the moment it seems like the fight will continue.

5. Summer Love

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None of this is real. Not the feeling you got when Justyn Ross went up, outsmarted the defender and came down with the ball. Not Cole Christiansen bursting through the line and sacking the quarterback – and maybe not even Carson Steele becoming a superhero.

This could all be just the next camp love in a long line of summer loves that burned as hot as the midday sun. And when camp is over and we all return to our real lives, all that will remain of our crush is the feeling it gave us in that brief summer moment that felt like it would last forever—or at least we wanted it to.

But sometimes summer love endures and survives against all odds, turning into a New Year’s Eve date and an annual midnight kiss. Only time will tell what constitutes this new generation of butterflies in our stomachs.