Winners, losers and roster chaos after Chiefs’ preseason embarrassment

Well, that was a forgettable one. The Kansas City Chiefs slogged through a sloppy, one-sided preseason loss against the Seattle Seahawks on Friday night, a contest marked by numerous injuries and poor performance. For younger Chiefs fans, it was a glimpse at what the days were like before Andy Reid was hired.

It’s only August, and perspective matters, but nights like this are vital for roster competitions and player development. With that in mind, here are the (few) winners who helped themselves and the (many) losers who will want to burn the tape.

Loser: Team effort

There were some exceptions (and we'll get to those in a minute) but the first thing that should be said about the Chiefs' effort in Seattle was that there was very little of it. On a night that could rank among the most important in their professional lives, several Chiefs players looked like there was nothing at stake. From mental errors to simple drops and silly penalties to a lack of urgency, the Chiefs' play was accurately reflected in the lopsided score.

Winner: Gardner Minshew

The backup quarterback spot has a rotation of veterans on one-year deals since Chad Henne retired, and for the most part, the results have been rather forgettable. However, the showing by Gardner Minshew on the first couple of drives against the Seahawks was rather heartening. It's quite possible the Chiefs have their best backup QB in years.

Loser: Skyy Moore (for the most part)

It feels bad to just pile it on at this point, but Skyy Moore has been relegated to a second-half option in the Chiefs' preseason offense at this point. And even then, he couldn't put it together—until late. On a night with limited touches, Moore did nothing but drop the few passes thrown his way. That is, until he scored on an incredible 88-yard punt return late in the fourth quarter. It was too little, too late for the Chiefs (and Moore at this point), but at least he had a moment.

Winner: Robert Tonyan

Chiefs Kingdom isn't afraid of showing some serious love to backup tight ends. Jody Fortson was a favorite for years in Kansas City. Robert Tonyan—or Big Bob, as Travis Kelce affectionately refers to him—is the latest TE to feel the love from fans, but it's well-deserved after looking the part of a legitimate offensive contributor in the team's first two preseason games.

Loser(s): Backup interior linemen

There was some obvious miscommunication at times up front for the Chiefs' offense, but mistakes were made, and the errors were costly. That's not good when the parties involved are all part of a tough competition for very limited spots backing up the starters on the Chiefs' front line.

Hunter Nourzad, C.J. Hanson, and others are playing a game of musical chairs when it comes to the active roster, but it's quite possible the Chiefs look externally for a bit more reliability if they don't appear ready for the challenge.

Loser: Defensive depth

Trent McDuffie was given the night off on Friday, which opened up playing time for plenty of other corners. The problem is that a couple of those players who suited up were injured, which only further exacerbates availability concerns at the position.

The Chiefs watched Nohl Williams leave the game to enter the team's concussion protocol, and that came one quarter after Nazeeh Johnson was declared out with a shoulder injury. Given that Kristian Fulton missed most of training camp on the Physically Unable to Play list and you have a tenuous position with just over one week to go before active rosters are due.

Beyond cornerback, the Chiefs continued to take more hits. Linebacker Jack Cochrane left the game with a knee injury. Mike Edwards has a hamstring concern. Felix Anudike-Uzomah had to leave the field in the fourth quarter after getting hurt as well. It was a tough night for defensive depth and makes roster construction that much more complicated going forward.