The Chiefs looked like a much more complete team in the second game of preseason. Bigger plays offensively, a bend but don't break defense, and although not the cleanest game in terms of play fluidity, overall the game showed that Patrick Mahomes finds his way out of danger and has options, and that the defense looked high energy and loose dominating basically the whole game. The defense looked like they had depth, and even deep into the roster the offense looked to be more shored up than last week. Let's have a look at my three players to take notice of:
Jody Fortson: The man is a touchdown magnet so far in the preseason, getting two in this game. He's head and shoulders above a lot of defensive backs physically, has great hands, and can run great redzone routes. In the age of deep throws over the shoulder, athletic DBs, and tightly contested goal line passing, that's huge. I see Fortson being a key contributor on the offense, giving the Chiefs a 2 TE look which with what options Mahomes has even now could be deadly. Just another weapon in the arsenal...
Justin Watson: Yes, yes I know he was on last week's review, but Watson continues to impress me. He finds a way to get open and get open quick, and I can see him in a key slot position alongside Skyy Moore. Another great duo on this Chiefs offense, which continues to look like they're going to prove a lot of doubters wrong. The 5th year guy that the Chiefs picked up out of Tampa has had back to back big games, notching 2 receptions for 53 yards. That may not look like much in terms of amount of catches, but the catches made accounted for those 53 yards, i.e. 21.5 yards per reception. He could be yet another deep threat for Mahomes, one that could really fly under the radar.
La'Jarius Sneed: Sneed had a bit of a comeback game this week. Last week he had a couple times where he really got burnt, but he's not letting it define him and his journey to becoming an All-Pro corner. He had a couple really good pass breakups, and didn't allow a catch in the series that he played. He's got the ability to be at that All-Pro level, and he showed it with the coverage he showed in today's game. He will need more of these type of games if he expects to cement himself as the top corner on the team, as there is solid competition in that DB room. Prove he can be a lockdown guy, keep up with the physical play, and be a leader, and Sneed will make a name for himself.
Overall Best Player, Patrick Mahomes: Yep, I'm going with him. The obvious cop out answer for basically any Chiefs game. Mahomes showed once more that he has options, and with a couple completions really only Mahomes could fit through as well as spreading the ball, the doubters need to be put on notice. Patrick Mahomes is an incredible football player, that is surrounded by plenty of talent that will allow him weapons to tear apart defenses with. Juju, MVS, Mecole, Watson, Moore, Fortson, Kelce. If they haven't made a name for themselves in the NFL already Mahomes will carry them to the mountaintop. Now more than ever is he using more than just his "first option", and the rest of the NFL should be terrified.
Again, a solid game all around. Not perfect as there were still hiccups (penalties need to be limited, even though that call on Saunders was awful) but we saw just a fraction of what the Chiefs are capable of today. Today was mainly about reassuring the NFL and Chiefs fans that their team has depth and options to go to, and has the potential to be the most complete team in the NFL. In football, you don't want perfection from only a few guys, you want a complete team that does its job even through adversity. Shoot, that's really the truth with any team, but the Chiefs are edging ever closer to completeness, and that spells bad news for opposing teams.
Burn Notice: 9/10 Red is Rising
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