KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s only the preseason and the Chiefs sat a lot of key starters, including Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones, but Seattle largely embarrassed Kansas City in the first half Friday during the second preseason game at Lumen Field.
The Seahawks had nearly three times as many yards — 309 to 104 — in cruising to a 16-point halftime lead.
“We just needed to pick our energy up in general,” Mahomes said during an in-game interview. “We’re not playing the football that we wanted to play coming out here. Obviously, there's weather and stuff like that, but we’ve got to play at a higher energy and I think the coaches emphasized that at halftime.”
Kansas City responded with a field-goal drive to open the second half, but highlights were few and far between on a rainy, late night in the Pacific Northwest until Skyy Moore’s 88-yard punt-return touchdown brought life to the Chiefs’ sideline in an otherwise dreary 33-16 loss.
Moore had a couple dropped passes and muffed a kickoff, which resulted in a touchback, but he made the special-teams score look easy, flashing the speed and vision that made him a second-round pick in 2022.
In case you missed this 88-yard punt return 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/Wep3gfxqSf
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 16, 2025
"Listen, he had a couple drops; that's not like him," Reid said. "... Then, he came back with a big play, so I was proud of him for that."
MINSHEW SETTLES IN
After learning for a season under Alex Smith, the Chiefs brought in Chad Henne as Patrick Mahomes’ veteran backup when he took the reins in Kansas City.
It was Henne Given Sunday for five seasons, before the 13-year NFL veteran retired after the 2022 season.
The Chiefs turned to Blaine Gabbert in 2023 and signed Carson Wentz last season, but now it’s Gardner Minshew’s turn.
Minshew got the start with first team Friday in Seattle — finishing 7 of 9 for 70 yards, including a scrambling 1-yard touchdown lob to Robert Tonyan early in the second quarter.
“It was a great experience to be able to go out there with those guys,” Minshew said.
Combined with a solid debut in last week’s preseason opener at Arizona, Minshew is 13 for 18 for 124 yards with a touchdown — an efficient and comfortable preseason stat line.
“I came here to learn from the best — the best in Pat, the best in the organization — so really I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” Minshew said. “... I’m so excited to be learning from Coach Reid — just how he gameplans, how he sets things up, how he uses complementary looks and how he just teaches the guys and gives them freedom to make plays. It’s been a lot of fun to learn.”
TIGHT TIGHT-END BATTLE
Let’s start with the obvious: Travis Kelce and Noah Gray are locks to make Kansas City’s roster, but the battle for the third tight-end spot or the decision to keep a fourth tight end isn’t quite so crystal clear.
The Chiefs used a fourth-round pick on Jared Wiley in 2024. He appeared in seven games before a season-ending knee injury, but Kansas City won’t want to give up on him prematurely.
Wiley, who suffered the knee injury only 10 months ago, has made a couple catches so far in the preseason, but veteran Robert Tonyan has been better in camp and in both preseason games.
Tonyan, 31, emerged as a weapon with 586 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020, his third NFL season with Green Bay, but he suffered a torn ACL the next year and, despite a productive 2022 campaign, journeyed to Chicago in 2023 and Minnesota last season.
A back injury limited Tonyan with the Vikings, but he’s been a revelation with the Chiefs.
The 6-foot-5 Indiana State product led Kansas City with five catches for 41 yards and scored the team’s only offensive touchdown. He had four catches for 49 yards in the preseason opener, making a strong case for a roster spot with one preseason game remaining.
WHERE WAS PATRICK MAHOMES?
Reid opted to rest a lot of the Chiefs’ veterans.
That included Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Nick Bolton, Trent McDuffie, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy among others.
Several veterans who’ve battled recent injuries — including linebacker Drue Tranquill, who missed time at camp with a back injury, and cornerback Jaylen Watson, who suffered a concussion at Arizona last week — also sat out.
The defense struggled to get lined up on a few snaps on the opening drive without Bolton making pre-snap adjustments.
Still, that didn’t excuse the fact that the Seahawks gashed the Chiefs for 114 yards on 11 first-quarter carries, trampling Andy Reid’s squad at will.
Tight end Jake Briningstool (hamstring), wide receiver Hollywood Brown (ankle), offensive tackle Ethan Driskell (appendectomy) and running back Kareem Hunt (quad contusion) missed the final training-camp practice Wednesday before the team packed up in St. Joseph.
INJURY UPDATE: BANGED-UP SECONDARY
Three Kansas City defensive backs left the lopsided loss in Seattle with injuries.
Cornerback Nazeeh Johnson made a diving pass breakup in the end zone late in the first half, a key play in the Chiefs’ goal-line stand preceding an unfortunate safety when Elijah Mitchell got swallowed up in the backfield.
But Johnson — who started the game at left cornerback with McDuffie, Fulton and Watson not playing — paid the price. He suffered a shoulder injury and exited the game.
Rookie cornerback Nohl Williams, who started opposite Johnson, entered concussion protocol in the third quarter and didn’t return, while safety Mike Edwards (hamstring) was ruled out a short time later as well.
The secondary attrition comes after two other defensive backs suffered injuries in the Chiefs’ preseason opener at Arizona.
Safety Deon Bush suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon and Jaylen Watson suffered a concussion, so the position group — including free-agent addition Kristian Fulton, who missed most of camp with a knee injury — is pretty beat up.
But the injury issues didn’t stop there.
Former first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah (hamstring) and linebacker Jack Cochrane (knee) also exited with injuries.
Meanwhile, rookie defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, who has battled an ankle injury in training camp, left the game late in the first quarter after coming up gimpy after a short-yardage pileup.
He returned after the offense went on a long touchdown march to draw within 14-7 midway through the second quarter.
"We'll have to see with the MRIs and the things that go forward here," Reid said.
WAS TAYLOR SWIFT AT THE GAME?
I’ll answer with a dad joke!
Me: Knock, knock.
You: Who’s there?
Me: Orange.
You: Orange who?
Me: Orange you adorable, but don’t be silly. Preseason games are dull unless you’re trying to make the back end of an NFL roster, which Queen Tay-Tay is not. I hear her day job is working out OK.
UP NEXT
Kansas City's lone home preseason game is Friday, Aug. 22, against the Chicago Bears — and there's good news for Chiefs fans.
"The ones will get a little but more time as we go forward," Reid said.
He indicated that Mahomes is likely to get some work next week at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in the final tuneup before the 2025 season kicks off Sept. 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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