Chiefs Start Preseason w/ 24-20 Victory in Chicago

In their first preseason game of the year the Chiefs beat the Bears 24-20. The Chiefs scored three touchdowns. They scored four all of last preseason. More importantly the Chiefs got to see their young players in live game action and a majority of them rose to the occasion . During the first drive of the game Brodie Croyle led the Chiefs down the field on a 16 play drive 81 yard drive. The drive chewed up more than eight minutes off the clock and culminated with a Larry Johnson touchdown. Croyle went 6 for 10 passing and 5 for 5 on third down and looked every bit the leader of this team. Defensively the Chiefs starters looked solid but not spectacular and seemed to still have some of the tackling problems that have plagued them the past couple of seasons. The starters kept the Bears out of the end zone but it is the worst offense they will see all season.. Early in the second quarter Damon Huard came on in relief of Brodie and after shaking off some early rust Huard showed why he is still on this team. Huard went 6 for 8 passing, 77 yards and hit Maurice Price for a 8 yard touchdown that capped a perfectly executed 2 minute drill no huddle offense. That gave the Chiefs a 14-3 lead going into half time. Huard proved he is a fighter and if he has to give up the starter position he is not going to concede the back up job. After half time Tyler Thigpen took over the reigns at quarterback and looked shaky early he did not seem comfortable in the pocket at all. The only passes he could complete were on rollouts where he could throw on the run. After Thigpen threw a interception Garret Wolfe scored for the Bears on the very next play and the wheels started to come off a little bit. The Bears went on to score another touchdown on a 13 Chris Hanie touch down pass and the Chiefs were down 17-14 going in to the fourth. Thigpen settled down in the fourth quarter leading the Chiefs down the field for a field goal to tie the game up. Chicago answered back with a field goal of their own. Down 20-17 Thigpen got the ball back with 3:19 left and the ball on his own 40 ward line. Thigpen marched his troops down the field for a 6 play scoring drive that resulted in a 27 yard touch down pass to Bobby Sippio with 1:15 left. Chicago could not score once they got the ball back and the Chiefs emerged victorious. Of the many position battles none were expected to be fiercer than wide receiver. The receivers did not disappoint Dwayne Bowe made some grabs early but then he gave way to Will Franklin who made some tough catches and looked like a legitimate NFL slot receiver. The second quarter was led by Jeff Webb grabbing 2 catches for 29 yards and Maurice Price snagging two passes for 33 yards and a touchdown. Not to be out done Bobby Sippio got 3 catches for 57 yards and the game winning score. Who helped themselves 1: Bobby Sippio- Game M.V.P. 2: Maurice Price- Made some catches and showed ability to use his size to get separation. 3: Jamal Charles- Showed good hands and ability to run between the tackles. 4: Dantrell Savage- Explosive back who made some big gains and showed he can play in the league. 5: Conner Barth- Made a 37 yard field goal and his kickoffs went further than Nick Novak?s by five yards. Who hurt themselves 1: Maurice Legget- Whiffed on a interception and gave up a touchdown. 2: Adrian Jones: Not effective at all and gave up a sack. 3: Patrick Surtain: Seemed a step slow and like the weak link of the secondary not like a steady veteran. 4: Tyler Thigpen: Even though he threw the game winning touchdown he did not look as crisp as Huard.