Four Takeaways From the Chiefs' 19-14 Loss to the Bears

Here are some major takeaways from the Chiefs' first game of the 2022 preseason.

For their first preseason game of the year, the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Soldier Field and battled some rough field conditions to square off against the Chicago Bears on the road. After taking a 14-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, the Chiefs came out in the second half and were rather sluggish. They allowed the Bears to come all the way back, giving up 19 unanswered points. Despite having one final possession to win the game, Kansas City was unable to come back and secure the win. 

Here are four takeaways from Saturday's game.

1. Opening possessions were fantastic

The Chiefs certainly didn't waste any time reminding the NFL of how good they can be when they're firing on all cylinders. After winning the coin toss and deferring, Steve Spagnuolo's defense made a couple of sound tackles and capped things off with a classic Chris Jones sack. On offense, Patrick Mahomes went 6-for-7 and completed all of his passes to different receivers in his only drive of the afternoon. The running game was a bit slow to get going but other than that, Kansas City couldn't have asked for much better of a start. Both sides of the ball had sharp opening drives, and that's all that head coach Andy Reid can ask for. 

2. George Karlaftis had a great debut

When the Chiefs drafted George Karlaftis, they seemed excited about getting a player who possesses a great motor and plenty of power. Against the Bears, those two traits jumped off the screen on multiple occasions. Karlaftis finished virtually every rep he had and in addition to notching his first professional sack, he put pressure on the opposing quarterback on numerous occasions. The Purdue product's initial punch off the snap was terrific, and his burst thereafter looked surprisingly good, too. The development of Karlaftis into a consistent pass-rushing threat at the defensive end spot is going to take a while, but Saturday's showing was a positive one nonetheless. 

3. Justin Watson is a mortal lock to make the roster

Less than two weeks ago, I pondered whether Justin Watson would be able to cash in on the offseason hype he's received and parlay it into securing an actual roster spot. The training camp darling is now turning into a preseason darling as well, and his first half very well may have been enough to lock him in as the Chiefs' fifth wide receiver. Watson received a heavy dose of snaps in the opening 30 minutes of the game, hauling in five passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. He was hands-down Kansas City's most impressive wideout over that span, and his ability to double as a special-teamer makes writing his name on the depth chart in sharpie something that most should be comfortable doing at this point. 

4. The running back battle is becoming a bit clearer

Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the Chiefs' first running back on Saturday, and that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Behind him, though, rookie Isiah Pacheco was featured in the first quarter and got a pair of carries for six yards. Pacheco also hauled in a pass, then he wasn't utilized on offense for the rest of the game. That lack of sustained reps makes it seem as if Pacheco's roster spot is rather set in stone. 

Veteran Jerick McKinnon didn't do a ton, as it was the duo of Ronald Jones and Derrick Gore that stood out in regards to depth pieces. Unfortunately for them, though, they did so for the wrong reasons. Jones couldn't get anything going behind a backup offensive line and Gore dropped a pair of passes and fumbled the ball before leaving the game with an injury. There's still plenty of time for things to change, but it appears that the running back tiers are beginning to get a little bit clearer to decipher in theory.