Patrick Mahomes could have expected a short appearance in the preseason opener. But this brief?
The Chiefs kicked off, caused a fumble and recovered, setting up the offense in the red zone to start the game. Three snaps later, Mahomes rifled a back-shoulder touchdown pass to Jason Brownee.
Mahomes’ night was finished after his 1-yard touchdown, and the Chiefs were off to a fast start. The reserves couldn’t hold on as the Arizona Cardinals prevailed at home 20-17.
All phases chipped in early. The Chiefs added an interception by safety Jaden Hicks to end the Cardinals’ first drive. In all, the Chiefs forced three turnovers.
The bottom half of the wide receiver depth chart had a night:
Brownlee, who scored the early touchdown, Tyquan Thornton, with a nice grab from Gardner Minshew, and rookie Jalen Royals, a favorite target throughout the game, figure to run behind Rashee Rice, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Xavier Worthy.
But Rice and Brown are out with injuries, and Rice is perhaps facing a suspension to open the season. The next group stepped up, and Mahomes looks to have a better variety of targets than a year ago, when he operated without Rice and Brown for most of the season.
Minshew took over for Mahomes and led a touchdown drive that he capped with a 1-yard run on a bootleg for a 14-3 lead. Before halftime, third-team quarterback Bailey Zappe was in the game and threw the first of his two interceptions.
Also flashing was tight end Robert Tonyan, the eight-year pro who grabbed three balls for a team-high 49 yards.
Defensively, the Chiefs held Arizona to a field goal on the second possession of starting quarterback Kyler Murray, but they couldn’t prevent the Cardinals’ reserves, led by Murray’s replacement Jacoby Brissett, from taking a 17-14 halftime lead.
The starting offensive line got two series, with right tackle Jawaan Taylor subbing out for newcomer Jaylon Moore.
Running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt got the first two series, but by halftime Carson Steele and Elijah Mitchell got more attempts.
Not having a good night: Zappe. He tossed a pair of interceptions, with his second ending a Chiefs drive in scoring territory.
The Chiefs looked to put together a late drive with quarterback Chris Oladokun. He got the Chiefs to midfield with about four minutes remaining, but a pair of penalties pushed the Chiefs back. The Chiefs were flagged 11 times, reflecting the ragged play by reserves.
The worst moment for the Chiefs came in the second quarter with a non-contact injury to reserve safety Deon Bush. He sat on the State Farm Stadium turf, a towel over his head, while surrounded by teammates. The Chiefs reported Bush had suffered an Achilles injury.
The biggest moment in a Chiefs uniform for Bush, a nine-year veteran, came in the 2023 AFC Championship Game victory at the Baltimore Ravens when he intercepted Lamar Jackson in the end zone.
Cornerback Jaylen Watson also left the game and is in the concussion protocol.