For other than the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants, the preseason really got underway last night and for a game that is supposed to be boring and glorified practice, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs put on a show that is probably unlike any other preseason game you may see in the next 10 years, if not longer. In a game where both teams combined for 80 total points, the Chiefs squeaked by the Bengals 41-39.
All 3 areas for the Chiefs (offense, defense, and special teams) all scored, which included an 80 yard punt return by dynamic rookie De’Anthony Thomas and a pick six by veteran CB Sean Smith, all in the final minute of the 1st quarter. Later on Safety Malcolm Bronson also added another pick six off Jason Campbell only three minutes into the 3rd quarter. It was the most points the Chiefs have scored in a preseason game since 1996 and the most points by 2 teams in the preseason where the Chiefs were one of the two teams since 1767.
Andy Reid was very happy to have Travis Kelce back on the field and mentioned him as a “Standout” in the game. The 2nd year player out of Cincinnati, who is recovering from microfracture surgery, last October, had two catches, one being for only 4 yards, but the other going for a 69 yard TD from a pass from Chase Daniel in the final minute before the half. Even though Reid felt the offense could do better, he added that he was happy with what he saw from De’Anthony Thomas, saying “He’s pretty fast. If he gets out there, there are not going to be a whole lot of guys that can catch him.”
The Bengals are also a team that has big goals and they think this could be their year to make it to Glendale for the Superbowl. They also had a pick six and are known around the league as 1 of the best defensive teams in the NFL. Their starting QB Andy Dalton, fresh off his new 5 year extension, was 3 for 5 for 71 yards with 2 of those completions going to his top target, WR AJ Green for 62 yards. Those two were drafted the same year and have had a good chemistry from the start. They are expected to continue to be one of the league’s most dangerous duos.
Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis seemed to be pleased with the offense overall, but pointed out his RBs, saying, “I thought we did a good job, beginning with Gio (Bernard) and BenJarvus (Green-Ellis). I thought Jeremy Hill had a couple nice runs, and obviously I thought Ced (Cedric Peerman) did. All the backs did a nice job.” It looks like veteran Green-Ellis is in the middle of a training camp battle as the starting job has been passed to Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill was drafted, and is highly looked at, this year. That pretty much leaves Green-Ellis vs. Rex Burkhead. Both ran well tonight, but that will be something to look at in their camp as the week go on.
All in all it was a good surprisingly exciting 1st game for both the Chiefs and Bengals. Next week, the Bengals will host the NY Jets on Saturday the 17th, while the Chiefs will travel to Carolina to face the Panthers on Sunday the 18th. Both teams will try to improve on turning the ball over and get crisper up until the 3rd preseason game, which is typically known as the dress rehearsal game. Most importantly, the main message that came out of this game is that football is back. If that doesn’t get you excited, nothing will, enjoy the games.
