In the first game of the preseason, which took place on Sunday afternoon, the defending NFL champion New Orleans Saints defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 26-24. This was the first time that the Chiefs had played since Super Bowl LVII.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished his lone series of work by completing both of his passes for a total of 15 yards before handing over his responsibilities to quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert then threw the Chiefs’ first touchdown pass of the day to wide receiver Richie James for a distance of 1 yard. James had a productive day overall, as evidenced by the fact that he scored after catching a pass for 43 yards just three plays before the touchdown.

The efforts of James sparked a run of 24 straight points by the Chiefs, who overcame an early 17-point deficit to seize the lead late in the third quarter. The Chiefs had trailed for the first 17 minutes of the game. Shane Buechele, who entered the game as a replacement for Blaine Gabbert on the scoring drive that resulted in the Chiefs’ first touchdown, was a key contributor to Kansas City’s comeback by throwing two touchdown passes.After cornerback Kahlef Hailassie made an interception, quarterback Buechele took over the offense. He was able to effectively escape multiple pass-rushers and strike wide receiver Justyn Ross for a 15-yard score halfway through the third quarter. Kekoa Crawford, a rookie wide receiver, was the recipient of a touchdown ball from Buechele that went for 8 yards and put the Chiefs back in the lead. This touchdown came just one drive after the previous one.Although the Chiefs kicked a field goal about in the middle of the fourth quarter, which increased their lead to seven points, the Saints did not give up. In the final minutes of the game, New Orleans scored a touchdown to pull within one point of the Chiefs. On the subsequent possession for the Chiefs, defensive end Kyle Phillips intercepted quarterback Chris Oladokun deep within Kansas City’s own territory.

This allowed New Orleans to pull within one point of the Chiefs.Because of the turnover, New Orleans had the opportunity to kick a game-winning field goal from 31 yards out as time ran down, and when Blake Grupe’s kick went through the uprights, the Saints retook the lead with no time left on the clock.It was a disappointing end to what had the potential to be a courageous comeback by the second and third-team players for the Chiefs, but as is the case in the preseason, there was still a lot that Kansas City can learn from Sunday’s game.Andy Reid, the team’s head coach, stated that “all in all,” it was beneficial to play a game. “The [starters] need to quicken their pace on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. We have some things to work on because it wasn’t good enough, but it was a nice idea to get the younger guys involved.

They seemed to play really well, in my opinion. There were some positive aspects to be gleaned from each and every vantage point…You simply cannot succeed if you make a mistake.In spite of the final result, the fact that rookie wide receiver Nikko Remigio caught four catches for 71 yards makes him a standout from the game that took place on Sunday. In addition, the Chiefs’ linebacker Drue Tranquill, safety Chamarri Conner, and defensive tackle Danny Shelton each recorded a sack as part of the Chiefs’ defensive efforts.In terms of injuries, the rookie cornerback Nic Jones (fractured fingers) and the defensive back Anthony Witherstone (toe) both left Sunday’s game early due to their respective conditions.Following this, the Chiefs will report back to training camp on Tuesday for another open practice at Missouri Western State University. On the following day, the Chiefs will continue their preseason schedule with a game against the Arizona Cardinals.