Mahomes throws the ball as the Chiefs claim a 38-10 preseason win over the Cardinals.

By William Sen On Aug 20, 2023

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Kansas City’s first-team offense didn’t play well on its first drive Saturday night, throwing a few passes, committing a couple of penalties and getting covered well in the end zone.

An expected easy preseason night for rookies suddenly got a little longer. Heading into the third practice, MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a message for his teammates.

“If we’re not going to keep playing, we better score,” Mahomes said.

The Chiefs responded with a 10-play, 92-yard drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Justin Watson and Kansas City to a 38-10 victory over the Chicago Cardinals. Arizona.

It was the first extended action of the preseason for Mahomes, who played the entire first quarter and completed 10 of 15 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. The Super Bowl champions never trailed and outgained the Cardinals 504 yards to 286.

Kansas City rookie Rashee Rice — a second-round pick out of SMU — caught eight passes for 96 yards.

“You can see the talent,” Mahomes said. “He makes a lot of tough shots. He had an early crash and then responded well. I think it’s the jitters you get in your first NFL games. I strongly believe in him, he will catch this in difficult spaces.

Kansas City (1-1) is expected to be one of the best teams in the NFL this year, while Arizona (1-1) is a popular choice among the worst. Franchise quarterback Kyler Murray could be out for the first few weeks of the season as he recovers from an ACL injury he suffered last year.

Veteran Colt McCoy is the expected starter until Murray returns. He completed 5 of 8 passes for 25 yards. Rookie Clayton Thune — a fifth-round pick out of Houston — completed 12 of 24 passes for 133 yards. He also ran the 35m.

After Harrison Butker’s 28-yard field goal, the Chiefs took a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter. The Cardinals cut it to 17-7 on Keaontay Ingram’s 5-yard field goal before halftime.

Arizona State’s Matt Prater hit a 54-yard field goal with 9:33 left in the third to make it 17-10, but Kansas City would go on to lead the game by 21 points.

Kansas City’s backup quarterbacks both had strong performances. Shane Buechele was 10 of 10 for 10 yards and a 15-yard run. Blaine Gabbert was 7 of 8 for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

“It was a good effort,” head coach Andy Reid said. “I thought defensively we got off to a quick start, which we should have done. At the beginning of the game, we had a little bit of a lapse in attack. We have to deal with it. But overall the teams came out and played good, respectable football.

The Chiefs’ back four — Mahomes, Buechele, Gabbert and fourth-stringer Chris Oladokun — combined to complete 31 of 38 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns.

“We’ve got to clean up in all three periods or that’s what’s going to happen against a good football team,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “You will be well beaten. It’s going to be very black and white for our guys and we have to improve quickly.

SIMMONS IN WRESTLING

Arizona State’s Isaiah Simmons has moved to safety at linebacker as the Cardinals look to unlock the potential of the former No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft.

The first preseason game went well. The second one was a little more difficult.

Simmons appeared to lose several plays in the first half as the Chiefs jumped out to a 17-0 lead. He finished with two hits. Gannon said the entire defense gave up too many explosive plays.

“Obviously, I’ve got to play better,” Simmons said. “I feel it every game. Explosives are definitely something we should tone down.

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

It was the third time the Chiefs played at the State Farm Stadium in less than a year.

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