Chiefs sit starters for preseason finale, are set for historic Super Bowl title defense
When the Los |A|
Angeles Rams Sean McVay |B|
decided to punt the |C|
preseason years ago, sitting |D|
all of his starters |E|
and most key backups, |F|
many other head coaches |G|
followed. More than half |H|
of NFL teams sat |J|
20 players or more |K|
last week. And the |L|
coach who keeps winning |M|
Super Bowls couldnt care |O|
less about that trend. |P|
Reid pulled |F| back for Thursdays preseason |G| finale. Mahomes, who completed |H| 11 of 18 passes |J| for 120 yards this |K| preseason, did not play |L| in Kansas Citys 34-21 |M| loss to the Chicago |O| Bears on Thursday. Kansas |P| City sat most of |Q| its starters, as Reid |R| gave his main players |S| a rest. Bears rookie |U| quarterback Caleb Williams didnt |V| play either.
The Chiefs |Y| didnt need to see |Z| any more before the |A| regular season starts.
Chiefs |B| did sustain a big |C| injury
The reason teams |D| dont play starters in |E| the preseason is obvious, |F| and its to avoid |G| injuries. The Chiefs didnt |H| get out of August |J| unscathed.
Receiver Marquise Brown |K| suffered a sternoclavicular joint |L| dislocation in Kansas Citys |M| preseason opener, and he |O| could miss the start |P| of the regular season. |Q| Brown was expected to |R| be a big upgrade |S| for the Chiefs, who |U| struggled to find consistency |V| across their receiver corps |Y| last season. Given the |Z| reported four-to-six week recovery |A| time, Brown should be |B| back early this season.
|C| dir="ltr">The good news is |D| the preseason gave everyone |E| a good look at |F| first-round draft pick Xavier |G| Worthy and what he |H| can do. His speed |J| is evident and the |K| Chiefs seem intent on |L| using him a lot. |M| He looks dangerous in |O| the Chiefs offense.
The |P| other good news for |Q| the Chiefs this preseason |R| was that receiver Rashee |S| Rice still hasnt heard |U| from the NFL about |V| a suspension. Rice was |Y| arrested on multiple charges |Z| due to his involvement |A| in a multi-car accident |B| that involved high speeds |C| in Dallas this offseason.
|D| dir="ltr">The Brown injury wasnt |E| great for the Chiefs, |F| but its hard to |G| get out of August |H| with no injuries, whether |J| you use your starters |K| in the preseason or |L| not. Everything else looked |M| good for the defending |O| champs. They even signed |P| center Creed Humphrey to |Q| a new deal that |R| makes him the highest-paid |S| center in the NFL |U| on Thursday night. Good |V| vibes all around.
Chiefs |Y| ready for regular season
|Z| dir="ltr">Some players might have |A| been fighting for roster |B| spots Thursday night, or |C| just playing time once |D| the season starts. Mecole |E| Hardman, Kadarius Toney and |F| Skyy Moore were among |G| the receivers to play. |H| Toney had two catches, |J| while Hardman returned one |K| kick for 43 yards |L| and Moore also had |M| a solid kick return |O| of 30 yards. Deneric |P| Prince, a second-year running |Q| back, also played as |R| he tries to solidify |S| a role, though he |U| had just three caries |V| for -1 yards and |Y| one catch for 3 |Z| yards. Fourth-round safety Jaden |A| Hicks, who might play |B| a big role on |C| some other teams but |D| not on the deep |E| Chiefs, also was playing |F| Thursday trying to make |G| an impression. He collected |H| four tackles and a |J| pass breakup.
The Chiefs |K| are just trying to |L| figure out the final |M| few players on the |O| roster and perhaps a |P| couple of depth chart |Q| decisions. Most of the |R| team that won last |S| seasons Super Bowl is |U| back. The Chiefs have |V| continuity on both sides |Y| of the ball and |Z| should be in midseason |A| form for the Week |B| 1 opener against the |C| Baltimore Ravens. Some reps |D| in the preseason didnt |E| hurt that either.
The |F| Chiefs preseason ended early |G| for most of the |H| teams key players. Now |J| they can focus on |K| their march toward history.
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