The last time we saw the Kansas City Chiefs play football, they had just put the finishing touches on the San Francisco 49ers to win their second Super Bowl Title in a row. Fast-forward to today, and they’ll line up against the Jacksonville Jaguars in their first football game in 2024. So, which four players will make an impact tonight?
Even though the NFL is a global sport that makes news daily, fans only get about five months of football. Granted, the month of August is generally pretty dull anticipation for the regular season, but football is indeed back for teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, who use these games as a workday.
Head Coach Andy Reid has made it clear he intends to play his starters in the first quarter and probably already has a good idea about who will make his final 53-man roster. In the spirit of competition, the next man up theory, and finding the right chemistry to attempt Super Bowl history in February, the process begins in Jacksonville to ensure he has all his players firing on the same cylinder.
Entering the team’s first preseason game, it’s clear that this is the most talented group of men surrounding Quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Offensively, they are fast, and defensively, they are hungry to repeat their success of 2023. On special teams, they are loaded with playmakers.
Yet, some players who must make a good impression against Jacksonville could be vital to the team this season. I know it’s early, but four players need to show they have the right stuff.
QB Carson Wentz might be an odd choice for some, but not for me. Kansas City was spoiled when Chad Henne was their backup quarterback. Reid wanted an experienced veteran in the off-season and chose Wentz as Mahomes’ understudy.
In camp, he’s been lights out, and he’s shown if Mahomes goes down, the offense probably would be as functional with Wentz under center. That doesn’t mean he can replace the value or the playmaking ability of the game’s most outstanding player, but he has to say he can manage the offense with the talented cast around him.
LT Kingsley Suamataia has been given the keys to the starting left tackle spot. He’s surpassed Wayna Morris and the itch to add a veteran left tackle to the roster. Though David Bakhtiari is still a free agent, the Chiefs believe in their BYU rookie tackle.
Believing is one thing. His job is to protect Mahomes at all costs. The biggest knock on Suamataia has been the vulnerability in his game on inside moves. In the early stages of training camp, he struggled. However, as camp practices increased and the pads came on, you could see development in that part of his game. Tonight, we need to see it in a live game.
DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah enters his second season with the Chiefs. The former first-round pick from Kansas State never found his footing for Kansas City last season. The root cause was injuries and Mike Danna’s breakout season. Now 100% healthy and fresh from summer camp working with former Chiefs Tamba Hali, he can show the talents that made him the Chiefs’ top pick in 2023.
At Kansas State, he was a pocketbreaker who could get to the opposing quarterback or stuff the run. He has the physical strength and the quickness that Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo wants out of his edge rushers. Tonight would be an excellent moment to begin the trek of becoming a solid playmaker for the Chief’s defense.
WR Justyn Ross was the camp darling in 2023. Yet, off-the-field issues that led to a long stint in the doghouse have led us to the most critical preseason of his NFL career. The good news for Ross is that he’s been the team’s most consistent receiver since camp began, and his chemistry with Wentz has been impressive.
The downside is that the former Clemson standout has never been able to duplicate what we see in practice on the playing surface against other teams. He has shown flashes, but he’s never been able to take the next step. Against the Jaguars’ defense, which is good, I suspect that with the looming battle at the wide receiver position, he’ll get plenty of opportunities to show what he can bring to the Chiefs in 2024.
