As the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Bengals in Week 1 of the preseason who were the standout performers for Andy Reid’s club?
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their 2019 preseason slate on Saturday night, playing host to the Cincinnati Bengals. Mahomes, of course, only played one drive in the first preseason game of the year but was impressive. The rest of Andy Reid’s team followed suit and dominated at Arrowhead Stadium, winning by a tally of 38-17.
While Mahomes played, we didn’t see Tyreek Hill or several key Chiefs defenders throughout this game, such as Frank Clark. However, this game was all about players lower on the depth chart that are trying to prove themselves either worthy of more playing time or worthy of a spot on the 53-man roster.
Guys like Tanoh Kpassagnon and Breeland Speaks made some splash plays for the Chiefs in the winning effort and they weren’t alone. However, they weren’t the biggest standout performers for Kansas City.
That distinction belongs to the following three players.
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3. Mecole Hardman, WR
Everyone paying attention knew that Chiefs rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman has speed to burn. That didn’t make seeing it in action any less impressive, though.
While Hardman finished the night with two receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown, that scoring play stands out as the highlight of the night. Taking a touch pass on a jet-sweep, Hardman simply knifed through the Bengals defense, running past the defense with ease and into the end zone from 17 yards out.
Joining Tyreek Hill in this offense, the Chiefs have an immense amount of speed. And with a coach like Andy Reid who knows how to maximize that type of talent, seeing Hardman and Hill on the field together could result in quite the show for football fans in 2019.
2. Darron Lee, LB
In dire need for depth at linebacker, the Chiefs made a low-risk trade for Darron Lee this offseason, sending the Jets a 2020 sixth-round pick in exchange. While Lee is likely behind Reggie Ragland, Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson on the depth chart, he provides Kansas City a valuable piece behind those guys. On Saturday night, he showed just how valuable.
You could make the argument that no Chiefs defensive player was as consistently active as Lee throughout the night, moving all over the field to make plays. The box score showed that as he led Kansas City with eight combined tackles, four of them solo, on the night. That’s a strong start for a player that is looking to prove his value to the Chiefs and NFL at large.
1. Darwin Thompson, RB
With Damien Williams not playing and Carlos Hyde getting limited early work, sixth-round rookie Darwin Thompson was able to enter the fold and get a chance to showcase his ability. The quick back out of Utah State made the most of the opportunity at hand.
Thompson managed just four carries on the night but was solid running out of the backfield, gaining 22 yards on his quartet of totes. More impressively, Thompson was able to take his one reception of the night 29 yards to the house, giving him a touchdown in his first taste of NFL action.
Though the Chiefs are confident in Williams, Thompson can give them another type of weapon out of the backfield, particularly as a pass-catcher. If he can continue to make the most of his preseason work and perform at this level, Andy Reid will find a role for him in the offense in the 2019 season.