The Kansas City Chiefs are set to face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in preseason Week 2 on Saturday, Aug. 22.

The Chiefs lost their first preseason matchup against the Rams. They’re looking to get back into the win column against the Buccaneers on the road at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. However, the biggest victories aren’t always found in the preseason score column.

While the team won’t have star quarterback Patrick Mahomes out on the field, Kansas City has a lot left to learn about this roster heading into the 2026 NFL season. Here are some important things fans should watch for during the game.

Will Kansas City Chiefs rookie cornerback Mansour Delane make his NFL debut?

Delane returned to participate fully during the final week of training camp practice in St. Joseph, Missouri. He had been absent with a shoulder blade injury suffered during an earlier phase of the offseason workout program. Delane made it through the practice week, including three consecutive padded practices, without any sort of setback, which should set him up to participate in preseason Week 2 against the Buccaneers, marking his NFL debut.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said that it would be up to coach Andy Reid. Chiefs defensive back coach Dave Merritt seemed to suggest this week that Delane would play against the Bucs. With the action he missed during training camp, Delane should get as many repetitions as possible during preseason Week 2 and preseason Week 3. The last thing you want is for him to make his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season against Denver Broncos wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Battle.

Reducing penalties after preseason Week 1 loss to Los Angeles Rams

The penalty bug bit the Chiefs in preseason Week 1. In preseason Week 2, they need to put it behind them. The team had 12 penalties totaling 83 yards against the Rams. 11 of those penalties came on the offensive side of the ball. Five of them were pre-snap penalties, four were holding penalties, and one was an illegal man downfield. That means 10 of those penalties were on Andy Heck’s O-Line.

Kansas City is going to have a jumbled offensive line even more in preseason Week 2 against the Buccaneers. Reid already confirmed that left tackle Josh Simmons and right guard Trey Smith will not play against the Bucs. That means the starting offensive line could look something like Jaylon Moore at left tackle, Kingsley Suamataia at left guard, Creed Humphrey at center, Mike Caliendo at right guard, and Kahlil Benson at right tackle. That also means the second-string offensive line will be even further jumbled.

The bottom line is that no matter who’s on the field, they need to execute. They didn’t do that in the last game, and reducing penalties, especially on the offensive line, will be a huge emphasis against the Bucs.

More opportunities for Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas

The Chiefs played rookie defensive tackle Peter Woods for a fair amount of snaps in preseason Week 1 against the Rams. However, he didn’t have many opportunities to do much while he was on the field. Woods was often double-teamed by design. In the few instances he did get upfield and rush the passer, it was a rollout with the quarterback running away from Woods, which didn’t give him much opportunity to impact the game.

What you want to see from him is the ability to defeat those double-team blocks and create some havoc in the backfield, which he struggled to do. More repetitions and more opportunities to see that type of defensive look will certainly be welcome for a player like Woods. It’s also worth noting he only got one snap next to defensive tackle Chris Jones. Jones will command the double teams, which will give a player like Woods opportunities to win those one-on-one reps. He’s just not going to get a lot of that during the preseason, and that’s okay, but it would be nice to see him get a couple more snaps where he can win a one-on-one matchup.

As for R Mason Thomas, he was one of the bright spots of the preseason Week 1 loss to the Rams. What Kansas City needs to see from him is consistency. Can he do it again against another NFL team? Can he impact both the run game and the passing game as he did in preseason Week 1? Those will be big questions he’ll have to answer during the course of the game.

Emmett Johnson, Garrett Nussmeier, and the Chiefs’ other offensive rookies stacking good performances

Speaking of stacking good performances, the rookies on the offensive side of the ball deserve attention. Emmett Johnson, Garrett Nussmeier, Kahlil Benson, Cyrus Allen, and even Jaydn Ott had standout performances during Week 1 of the 2026 preseason. You’d like to see each of those players build on those performances and come out of Week 2 better.

Specifically, can Johnson continue to carry the ball effectively against a team like the Buccaneers? Will Nussmeier continue to run the offense with poise and precision? Can Benson show off playing at the right tackle position as opposed to the right guard position last week? Can Allen build on what was a pretty decent first outing against the Rams? And finally, can Ott make a competition out of that last running back spot on the 53-man roster, or is he simply destined for a practice squad stash during his rookie season?

Continued progress for second-year Kansas City Chiefs players

The Chiefs are looking to be dependent on their rookie class for big contributions. But they’re going to be equally dependent on their second-year players to step up and play big roles.

Nohl Williams is probably the most notable of those players. He is likely going to be asked to be the No. 1 cornerback for this team. Jeffrey Bassa will be key depth for Kansas City and could sneak into the starting lineup for certain sub packages. Jalen Royals, another key depth player at wide receiver, has made strides in training camp. He’s made some tough catches across the middle of the field, which the team has been lacking.

Cooper McDonald is another player who could sneak into the starting lineup as a strong side linebacker. Expect him to fill that Leo Chenal-type role for the defense. Can he keep moving forward after an impressive rookie season in which he made the 53-man roster as a tryout player and undrafted free agent?

Brashard Smith has standout athleticism, quickness, and elusiveness. However, he has a lot left to prove as a running back for Kansas City. Pass catching and operating in space look good, but can he take carries out of the backfield and produce? That’s going to be a big question, especially when he doesn’t have the starting offensive line out there and will likely get opportunities behind rookie Johnson.

Finally, Melvin Smith Jr., an undrafted free agent who has seemingly risen up the depth chart in Kansas City. I believe he still needs a standout play to make his presence felt and earn a spot on the 53-man roster.