Robert Tonyan makes his case, running game woes, and more Chiefs halftime takeaways from preseason Week 2 vs. Seahawks
What did we learn in the first half of the Chiefs’ preseason Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks?
Kansas City Chiefs football is back again in preseason Week 2 with another road matchup against an NFC West opponent, this time traveling to Lumen Field to face the Seattle Seahawks.
Andy Reid was true to his word, sitting key starters on both offense and defense. The Chiefs find themselves down 23-7 after a rainy first half of football. Gardner Minshew and Chris Oladokun both quarterbacked multiple drives, but the big story so far has simply been the team’s inability to slow Seattle down on the defensive side of the ball.
What else did we learn about the Chiefs in the first half of the game? Here’s a look at our halftime takeaways for Kansas City.
The Chiefs’ short-yardage woes are still quite apparent
The Chiefs’ long-standing short-yardage struggles haven’t gone anywhere despite some substantial investment in the offensive line. Running behind TE Robert Tonyan on fourth-and-short seems like a waste when you’ve got a center and right guard combination in the game worth a combined $166 million. Yes, it’s just the preseason, and you don’t want to show your good stuff, but that’s the type of play that Carson Steele needs to make if he’s going to make the 53-man roster as a fullback. The playcall didn’t do him any favors, but that’s a got-to-have-it type of play for the second-year professional.
The run defense has a long way to go after missing just a trio of starters
The Chiefs had Chris Jones, Nick Bolton, and Trent McDuffie out of the game on the defensive side of the ball in this one, but the vast majority of the remaining players were starters. The defense allowed over 170 rushing yards in the first half of the game. Bolton’s absence probably had a lot to do with that. Veteran linebackers Cole Christiansen and Jack Cochrane looked virtually unplayable. The interior defensive line also left something to be desired. Tackling is always better in the second preseason game, but I think they’ve still got a few things to work out.
Robert Tonyan might be the star of the preseason for Kansas City
Chiefs GM Brett Veach deserves all the credit in the world for finding Big Bob Tonyan, who I can confidently say has played his way onto the 53-man roster. He missed practically the entire 2024 NFL season due to injury, but he’s looking healthy now. In Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, he led the Chiefs with three receptions and 49 yards receiving on four targets. Through the first half of preseason Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Tonyan was one of the few bright spots, with two receptions for 11 yards and a touchdown.
Quick hitters
I was very wrong about Gardner Minshew: He’s very clearly the second-best quarterback on this roster. His decision-making has been infinitely better in the preseason compared to training camp. He’ll make a fine backup to Patrick Mahomes, and even brings some similar swagger with his improvisation abilities.
Nazeeh Johnson > Joshua Williams: Johnson had a really good PBU before exiting the game with an injury. Williams was in a great position to make a similar play, but he allowed a touchdown reception. I feel like Williams is on the bubble, especially with Chiefs rookie CB Nohl Williams standing out in a positive way (outside of the penalties tonight).
Kingsley Suamataia still has some work to do: Two weeks in a row, he’s had one snap with the starting lineup where he was just blown up on the play. Consistency is king, and right now, he feels like he’s still a liability.
Kansas City Chiefs News
ESPN’s ‘The Kingdom’ docuseries perfectly captures the calluses that have turned the Kansas City Chiefs into the team they are today
I watched all six episode of ESPN’s “The Kingdom” docuseries. Here’s what I think about it.
| Be part of the A to Z Sports community and vote in our latest Kansas City Chiefs poll as the preseason gets underway. |
