For a while, it looked like the Kansas City Chiefs might win a preseason game for the first time since 2023.
The Chiefs were in control of the game on both offense and defense, and special teams looked like it had put together a special night.
And then former Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels came into the game, and suddenly, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense had a spark.
Still, with three minutes left to go in the game, Kansas City had a shot to kick the go-ahead field goal, but kicker Harrison
Butker pushed it far right, costing the Chiefs an exhibition win.
In the end, the Chiefs dropped this one on the road to the Buccaneers by a score of 16-15.
Thank God, it’s still the preseason and the results don’t matter, but we still learned five things from Saturday night:
1. Harrison Butker is still the human ying yang
It was the best of Butker’s, it was the worst of Butker’s, it was the Butker of focus, it was the Butker of zoning out, it was the preseason of 69-yard field goals to end the half, it was the preseason of missed 43-yarders to lose the game, it was the Butker who gave hope, it was the Butker of despair, one moment we have faith we’re going to win the Super Bowl, the next we are terrified of missing the playoffs.
One moment, he is a demigod, performing near-immortal feats with the grace and ease of Apollo’s arrows, and the next he looks like Edgar from “Men in Black.”
In short, we never know which Harrison Butker we are going to get.
2. Right tackle might be a problem
Hello darkness, my old friend.
Here we are again, another season around the corner, and we have no idea how we are going to keep defenders from blowing around the right edge like they’re slingshotting around the sun in a stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey.
It didn’t matter who Andy Reid put in at offensive tackle on Saturday night. Jaylon Moore, Kahlil Benson, Esa Pole, etc. — they were all ineffective and at times downright horrible. It’s becoming more and more clear that Benson getting first-team reps is less about him being a diamond in the rough, and more about there being a lack of a better option.
3. FA-Who?!?!
FAU, that’s who.
Raise your hand if you did a double take in the first half when Chiefs edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah came flying around the edge and obliterated Buccaneers quarterback Jake Browning?
For a guy who is fighting for his career, this is exactly the sort of thing we need to see out of Anudike-Uzomah. If the Chiefs can rely on this sort of play from the fourth-year pass rusher, the pass rush starts to look a little more daunting for opposing offenses.
There is a world where Anudike-Uzomah and rookie R Mason Thomas are on the field at the same time, hunting quarterbacks like a pair of velociraptors.
Throw George Karlaftis and Chris Jones in the mix, and suddenly you’re cooking with gas.
4. This is the Jalen Royals we’ve been waiting for
Second-year wide receiver Jalen Royals caught all six of his targets in this game for a team high 51-yards in this game. Royals was a highly touted prospect, coming out of Utah State last season, but the hype never materialized in 2025.
Up until Saturday night, it appeared to be more of the same.
It’s not just that Royals caught all six of his targets; it’s that after the catch he looked dangerous and ran with a purpose once he had the ball in his hand.
The Chiefs coaching staff has been waiting for a player to differentiate themselves from the pack and step up as quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ favorite new target. Perhaps this is the beginning of a new chapter for Royals, or perhaps none of this matters because it’s still just the preseason.
5. Masoor Delane is who we thought he was
He didn’t play much in this game, but in the limited snaps he got, Delane looked like the blue-chip prospect he was in college. If Kansas City can lock down the boundary with a pair of young defensive backs, in Mansoor Delane and Nohl Williams, there is enough on tape that you can see the plan on defense starting to take shape.
And if the defense can get after the opposing QB while locking down their receivers, then it could be a fun year on third downs in Arrowhead Stadium this season.
