When you look at the surface reports of the Kansas City Chiefs 24-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Thursday night’s NFL preseason finale it would be easy to see discouragement. The score speaks for itself, and when Packer backup quarterback Graham Harrell came into the game, the Chiefs made him look like Otto Graham, as the backup completed 13-of-15 passes for 223 yards. But, as is often the case in August football, the surface story didn’t tell the real story.
The real story is that the starters only played the first quarter and left with a 3-0 lead. While we should point out that Green Bay didn’t dress center Jeff Saturday or wide receiver Donald Driver, the key names that drive the Packer offense were on the field. You can say that one quarter doesn’t prove a lot—most offenses like Green Bay’s function by sudden strikes—and you’d be right. But the little bit it did prove was something positive and head coach Romeo Crennel can feel good about his first-string defense.
Head coach Brian Daboll can feel good about the depth in his running game. Nick Eachus rushed for 99 yards and has shown he can be a quality #3 behind Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.
The way the game got away from Kansas City in the last three quarters shows they can’t feel quite as good about their depth. But after where the team had been in previous losses to the St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks, having some positives for the starters was a welcome change. And that’s what they’ll carry into preparation for the September 9 opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
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