Mansoor Delane as advertised and 3 more halftime takeaways from Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason Week 2 game vs. Buccaneers
Fire-from-the-hip reactions to the first half of the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason Week 2 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are slugging it out in preseason Week 2.
The Chiefs lead the Bucs 9-0 after a 69-yard field goal from Harrison Butker to end the half. This game has mostly been a defensive battle. Kansas City has held Tampa to 0-for-5 on 3rd down and 83 total yards at halftime. Pretty impressive given that several starters were out there early for the Buccaneers.
What else did we learn about the team during the first half of play?
Mansoor Delane as advertised in debut
Mansoor Delane did, in fact, make his NFL debut on Saturday. It’s been anticipated after the shoulder blade injury limited him from mandatory minicamp until the final week of training camp practices. Delane also didn’t disappoint.
The thing that flashed most? His closing speed. In the first quarter, he had a play where he was lined up 10 yards off the line of scrimmage. He came crashing down after a short throw to impact the play. He didn’t make the tackle himself, but he caused the runner to slow down enough so that Chris Roland-Wallace could clean it up for a one-yard loss.
I’ll have to rewatch each coverage snap, but it didn’t feel like Baker Mayfield, Jake Browning or Jalon Daniels threw his way often or at all. Shutdown cornerback? It’s a small sample size, but I’m comfortable saying that Delane is the player advertised.
National media’s questions about Chiefs’ offensive line suddenly validated
All offseason, the national NFL media seemed to have major questions about the Chiefs’ offensive line. With just two injuries to starters Josh Simmons and Trey Smith, those questions seem entirely validated. Tackles Jaylon Moore and Kahlil Benson struggled mightily against the starting rushers of YaYa Diaby and Rueben Bain. They didn’t look much better against Anthony Nelson. Mike Caliendo being the top option as a backup right guard is a major issue, too.
If the Chiefs are serious about protecting Patrick Mahomes, they can’t feel comfortable with their offensive line depth. Finding a good right side swing lineman on waivers or via trade during 53-man roster cuts is looking more and more vital by the day.
The one good thing at offensive tackle is Kahlil Benson’s strength in the run game. That was very, very apparent. He’s got a long way to go as a pass protector, though. It probably looks better with Trey Smith playing next to him.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah looking like a first-round pick against Bucs backups
Felix Anudike-Uzomah had back-to-back plays at the end of the first quarter that helped thwart a drive by the Bucs. On the first play, he pressured Jake Browning into a throw behind the sticks for a one-yard loss. On the second play, he converted a pressure into a sack that took Browning out of the game.
Mind you, this came against the Bucs’ backups. Still, that’s exactly how a first-rounder should look playing against backups. The Chiefs need his continued progression and contributions this season, so this was a pleasant development.
An up-and-down day for Justin Fields
Justin Fields struggled through his first two drives, going just 3-of-4 for nine yards passing. He led an 11-play, 48-yard scoring drive. That drive included a 14-yard reception to Andrew Armstrong, a 15-yard reception to Jake Briningstool, and a 15-yard scramble by Fields. Unfortunately, the final play of the drive was an embarrassing sack for a 20-yard loss. That was the last play of the day for Fields.
I feel like he’s made strides since his previous stops. He’s not as run-happy; he’s playing a very Alex Smith-like game. Fields takes what’s given, and he’s not turning the ball over. At the same time, I feel like he really needs to take a page out of Marcus Peters’ playbook.
