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It wasn’t perfect, but the Chiefs were especially impressive in their 17-10 victory over the Cardinals in Friday night’s preseason showdown. The Chiefs’ first three quarters have led scoring campaigns, with undrafted rookie Shane Buechele throwing a third quarter touchdown at Jerick McKinnon.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 78 yards on 10 of 18 passes in three sets of work. Mahomes’ first practice ended with a field goal of 24 yards; his last practice ended with an interception from Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy. Chad Henne closed the half with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman. Buechele scored 7 of 8 for 66 yards while leading the Chiefs to a score in the first practice of the second half.
It was a dark night for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals’ starting offense. In three series, Murray completed only one of his four passing attempts for 2 yards. Murray has been sacked twice, including a big hit from Chris Jones that led to the Cardinals’ third three-and-out with Murray under center. With Murray in the game, the Cardinals ran 9 games for -1 yards. While the Cardinals managed to put together a pair of late-game goals, Derrick Gore’s 19 and 11-yard runs sealed Kansas City’s victory.
Mahomes completed his first four assists, including two to Hardman in the Chiefs’ first practice. Mahomes couldn’t connect on back-to-back shots in the end zone at Hardman, however, as the Chiefs’ 15-game disc ended with Harrison Butker’s placement. The Chiefs traveled 61 yards in their third practice before Mahomes was intercepted by Murphy on third and goal.
Here’s a look at what happened in the desert.
Why the chefs won
The Kansas City defense wouldn’t allow the Cardinals to get into some sort of groove with Murray under center. Conversely, the Chiefs converted on a pair of fourth downs in their first practice, which led to Butker’s placement. The Chiefs have also capitalized on several big games. Byron Pringle’s 41-yard catch established Hardman’s touchdown just before half-time and Buechele’s 36-yard completion to Marcus Kemp helped establish his touchdown pass to McKinnon. Kansas City also had a strong performance from running back Darwin Thompson, who ran four straight carries for 28 yards on the Chiefs’ second possession. He ran 13 yards in the Chiefs’ first practice in the second half.
After the Cardinals reduced their lead to one possession, the Chiefs controlled the ball for the final nine minutes of the game. The main catalysts for the practice were Gore (who led both teams with 54 yards on eight carries) and quarterback Anthony Gordon, who completed his seven passes for 42 yards.
Why the cardinals lost
Arizona has not recorded any first downs with Murray on the field. And while his defense managed to stop Mahomes twice in the red zone, they couldn’t replicate that success against Henne and Buechele, who threw touchdowns on back-to-back possessions. Arizona also struggled to protect their quarterbacks, who were sacked five times in total.
Arizona received a solid night from backup quarterback Chris Streveler, who was 5 of 6 assists for 74 yards. He capped a 12-play, 88-yard run with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ross Travis with 9:03 to go.
Turning point
Murphy’s pick seemed to give the Cardinals some momentum midway through the second quarter. The Cardinals, however, failed to move the ball around in Colt McCoy’s first practice, getting three and out for a fourth straight possession. The teams traded punts before Henne led the Chiefs on a 6-game, 77-yard run that ended with the game’s first touchdown. Buechele then led the Chiefs on a 12-game, 87-yard run that essentially sidelined the game.
Game play
Safety Juan Thornhill made his best receiver impression when he knocked out McCoy in the end zone at the end of the first half. A former second-round pick, Thornhill had four assists in his first two seasons at Kansas City.
Quotable
“We have to clean up some things, fix some things. They kicked our ass for the few rides we were there. That’s what it is. We’ll be better when it counts.” – Murray to Lisa Salters of ESPN when asked about the Cardinals’ offensive struggles
And after
The Chiefs will conclude the 2021 preseason next Friday at home against the Vikings. Kansas City will open the regular season with a home game against the Browns in a rematch of the Chiefs’ relentless victory in the 2020 divisional playoffs. Arizona will end the preseason with a showdown on Saturday in New Orleans. The Cardinals will open the regular season in Tennessee.
Relive all the action in the live blog below
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