What to expect from Chiefs in preseason Week 2 | KCSN Daily 8.19
Chiefs vs. Commanders preview, bubble players to watch and more
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The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Washington Commanders at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 2 of the preseason. The game will be played at 3:00 CT on Saturday, Aug. 20. It’s set to be nationally televised on NFL Network and locally broadcast on KSHB-TV.
How much will the Chiefs’ starters play in preseason Week 2?
Andy Reid appears to be following the same plan as he did last year, which was the first year with a three-game preseason. While other head coaches will rest their starters entirely, Reid likes to ramp up the workload for his starting players.
“Yeah so, we’ll go somewhere first half with the (starters) – it might be shorter than that, but I’m just going to see how things go,” Reid said. “And then the rest of the guys will fill in. Chad Henne won’t play this game. Like last year, we’ll sit him and give the two young guys some extra time.”
Last season, Patrick Mahomes played 30 snaps in preseason Week 2 and the starting offensive line played upwards of 40 snaps. That could have been unique circumstances, though. Mahomes was coming off of a turf toe injury and needed the extra work. The offensive line was entirely new and needed some time to gel together. This year, it could actually be the defense that’s out there longer as they have a lot of new pieces in the secondary.
With Henne sitting out this game, the Chiefs will continue to evaluate Shane Buechele and Dustin Crum. Buechele made some big-time throws and showed promise in preseason Week 1, but this week could prove even more important to his future with the team.
KC Laboratory: Chiefs vs. Commanders Preseason Week 2 Preview
KCSN Update:
Tucker Franklin takes a look at the best over/under Chiefs player bets for the 2022 NFL season.
Bubble players to watch:
RB Derrick Gore: Last season, Gore was a bit of a fan favorite. He landed on the practice squad despite a strong preseason showing, but he was eventually elevated to the active roster. This week, he’s coming off of a poor performance against the Bears, where he dropped some passes and fumbled on a play where he suffered a minor neck injury. He’s going to need a strong bounce-back week against the Commanders if he’s to make the 53-man roster.
CB Nazeeh Johnson: It’d be a real shame to break up the “Fab Five” this soon. Johnson is making a position switch from safety to corner in Kansas City. Right now, his main competition appears to be second-year CB Dicaprio Bootle, who had a tough outing in preseason Week 1. Some flashy play against the Commanders could get Johnson in the good graces of the coaching staff prior to roster cuts.
LB Darius Harris: A player who has spent some time on the practice squad, Harris is an interesting case for Kansas City. He’s been getting some opportunities as the MIKE linebacker with the first-team and second-team in camp. He’s also a trusted player of Dave Toub on special teams. He has some competition in players like Jermaine Carter, Mike Rose and Jack Cochrane. Can he make a flashy play in this game and make a case for a roster spot?
Quotable:
“I had it last year, but I had it for the start of the (Chicago Bears) game, kind of got the flow of the game kind of as the game goes on rather than having it in certain situations, so I liked it. It was fun out there. (It was) good to put on the pads and go out there and have fun with your boys. I look forward for this week as well.” - Chiefs LB Nick Bolton on wearing the green dot
“I’ve seen a ton of growth. That’s the kind of guys that I was referencing earlier. Those receivers in training camp and OTA’s, I mean there is a lot of routes ran. We practice fast, we keep things rolling within the time period and they kind of have to be in and out and we run a lot of deep routes. You can see in OTA’s it was really getting after them. They were pushing through, pushing through. Then you got to the mid part of camp you saw that they had their legs under them, they were running these routes, getting back in the huddle and running them again. They were recognizing coverages as they were doing them. I think it was very good for them to get down here and see how we do things and now, as we get back to Kansas City and get closer to the season, we’ll refine that and make sure they are ready to go then.” - Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on growth of new receivers
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Important dates ahead:
Saturday, Aug. 20 - Preseason Week 2: Chiefs vs. Commanders - 3:00 p.m. CT - Kansas City, Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium
Tuesday, Aug. 23 - Roster cuts wave 2 - 85 to 80 players
Thursday, Aug. 25 - Preseason Week 3: Chiefs vs. Packers - 7:00 p.m. CT - Kansas City, Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium
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