Chiefs vs. Lions Winners and Losers: Duality of WR Room Shows

In KC's second preseason game of 2024, several players garnered attention for good and bad reasons alike.

Aug 17, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) runs the ball as Detroit Lions cornerback Khalil Dorsey (30) chases during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In the blink of an eye, the Kansas City Chiefs have a pair of preseason games in the books.

Following a loss to the Detroit Lions, Andy Reid's squad has just one game left to capture a win in advance of the regular season. It wasn't as if Saturday's outing didn't provide any opportunities to send a statement, though, as Kansas City held a late lead but couldn't hold on. Detroit's walk-off field goal sent the reigning Super Bowl champs back to the drawing board.

In the defeat, the home team saw a multitude of players stand out for good and bad reasons. While some expected contributors met the bar that was set, others fell short and are now facing some adversity with the season opener on deck in just under three weeks.

With that in mind, let's point out some of the Chiefs' biggest winners and losers from the second week of the preseason.

Winner: Xavier Worthy

After a quiet game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, rookie receiver Xavier Worthy broke out on Saturday. He was targeted more times in the passing game than any Chiefs player, breaking off a big play with Patrick Mahomes and hauling in a touchdown from backup Carson Wentz. The first-round pick leveraged his speed and operated with the first team, which bodes well for his future involvement in the offense. Following the game, Mahomes praised Worthy and his fit in the offense.

"There's high expectations on him," Mahomes said. "I think he's doing a great job in the process of building and building. I think he's going to make a lot of big impact plays for us but we have other guys, too, that are going to help him so there's not too much pressure on him to make plays every single game."

Loser: Kadarius Toney

If you somehow weren't concerned about Kadarius Toney's chances of making the 53-man roster before this weekend, now might be the time to panic. While the former first-rounder was healthy enough to play on Saturday, he was buried on the depth chart and only got a pair of targets on offense. Making one reception for a loss of four yards, Toney's impact remained minimal. That, combined with some recent comments from the team, doesn't bode well for him being a valuable contributor in 2024.

Winner: Rashee Rice

Like Worthy, Rashee Rice was heavily involved on offense in the loss to the Lions. He got five targets, making four receptions for 35 yards. On the Chiefs' second offensive possession, four of those targets came in succession and Rice had all of his yards on them. Kansas City made a concerted effort to get the second-year man going, which is a good thing as the regular season approaches. Mahomes thinks Rice's best football is ahead of him.

"He could always work in space and catch the ball and run and [be] explosive, which is super important," Mahomes continued. "I think he's getting better and better at winning one-on-one and winning with routes, and I think that's going to help his game go to that next level."

Loser: Felix Anudike-Uzomah

When a first-round pick is playing deep into a preseason game, it usually isn't a positive. When it's last year's first-round pick doing it, it's even worse. Felix Anudike-Uzomah didn't make many memorable plays on Saturday and his lone "splash" impact was on a play where he went unblocked. After an underwhelming rookie campaign, the Kansas State product hasn't yet shown that he's ready to make a leap in year No. 2. His development remains a huge thing to monitor in the coming weeks.

Winner: Carson Steele

Carson Steele logged three carries for just eight yards and finished with negative receiving yards, and that doesn't reflect a "winner" for this list. With that said, he also logged reps with some of the first-team offense and was excellent in both pass protection and on special teams. The more Steele sees the field, the easier it is to see him making the initial 53. The undrafted free agent has passed every test thus far, which was no different on Saturday despite the box score.

Loser: Chamarri Conner

In a similar vein to Anudike-Uzomah, it wasn't great to see Chamarri Conner play so many snaps against the Lions. The sophomore safety had five tackles on defense, but he struggled with consistency. Conner didn't quite live up to his chess piece billing in the Chiefs' second preseason game but of the players listed here, he likely provides the least reason for concern.

Winner: Matt Araiza

In his second (unofficial) game as a Chief, Matt Araiza made folks forget about Tommy Townsend for an afternoon. Punting six times versus Detroit, he averaged just over 49 yards per boot and also had a pair of 61-yard kicks. Regardless of assignment – get distance on an effort or pin the opposition deep in their own territory – he was excellent. He even got credited with a tackle, serving as icing on the cake.

Loser: Justyn Ross

Simply put, this writer hasn't witnessed many worse blocking performances than Justyn Ross had on Saturday. Whether it was an effort or ability question can't be answered but either way, the former Clemson star was poor in that regard. On offense, he failed to convert on either of his targets and his near-highlight play ended up being out of bounds. Ross may still hold a more favorable outlook than someone like Toney or Nikko Remigio, but he should be considered squarely in that grouping.

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