The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a hot start against the Washington Commanders in preseason Week 2. The starting offense and defense looked nearly flawless in their first game in Arrowhead Stadium since last January. There were plenty of big plays on both sides of the ball, with a lot of it orchestrated by the maestro Patrick Mahomes.
Here are a few quick takeaways from the first half of play:
Chiefs defense looking up to the task
The infusion of youth and athleticism for the Chiefs’ defense seems to be paying off early in Kansas City. Steve Spagnuolo and even his players have warned of growing pains, but they were nowhere to be found against the Washington Commanders’ first-team offense.
Led by Nick Bolton, the Chiefs’ starters held Carson Wentz and the Commanders’ offense to 30 or fewer yards on each drive. They forced punts on each of the first two drives and allowed no more than eight plays to Washington. That included one tackle for loss and a few forced incompletions due to pressure.
The second-string didn’t do half bad either. They forced Wentz and the Commanders’ starters off the field after just four plays. That included George Karlaftis notching his second career sack.
Starting offense extremely efficient
The Chiefs’ starting offense picked up where they left off last week, boasting extremely efficient drives in their first two possessions. On the opening drive, it took the team just 12 plays and 87 yards to move down the field for the score. Five different receivers were targeted and caught passes. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was the only receiver to catch two passes. Two different running backs had carries (Mike Burton and Clyde Edwards-Helaire), but four had snaps with the first team (Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon).
On the second possession, it was almost an identical drive. It took 12 plays, 82 yards, six different receivers with catches and eight players targeted. Pacheco also had two carries. If this is what the offense looks like come Week 1, I have a hard time seeing teams being able to stop it on a consistent basis.
Jody Fortson gets two red zone touchdowns
It’s poetic that Jody Fortson’s first reception since tearing his Achilles against Washington last season came against the Commanders. It’s also poetic that it was a 5-yard touchdown grab.
Jody Fortson with the TD. pic.twitter.com/4yOyQsBBNa
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) August 20, 2022
But wait, there’s more. On the ensuing offensive drive, Fortson got himself yet another red zone touchdown.
it's just easy for him pic.twitter.com/4mRPegdWBg
— alex (@highlghtheaven) August 20, 2022
This is a role that many people thought would be expanded for Fortson this season given his 6-foo-6 frame and the success he had last year. It’s good to see that Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy already trust him to execute in these high-leverage situations.
