KC Reporter

The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Arizona Cardinals, 20-17, in their preseason opener on Saturday night. The Chiefs started strong with a 14-3 lead but were outscored by Arizona for the remainder of the game.

Head Coach Andy Reid commented on the team's performance, saying, "There were some good things even though it didn't [end] that way. The [first team] played well when they were in. They were sharp. After that, we were too sloppy. Too many penalties, and going backward offensively…We have to take care of that."

Kansas City committed 11 penalties and had two turnovers during the game. Despite these issues, the opening moments saw positive plays from the Chiefs' special teams and defense. Linebacker Jack Cochrane forced a fumble on the opening kickoff, which cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace recovered. On offense, quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with wide receiver Jason Brownlee for a 1-yard touchdown on his only series.

Brownlee's performance stood out after joining Kansas City from the New York Jets earlier in the offseason. Reid noted, "He's played well, so we gave him an opportunity to get in there and play. He knows how to use his size for sure, and he had some nice plays the rest of the way, too. He had some good routes there, and he was in a position where he deserved to get in and get some playing time."

Defensively, safety Jaden Hicks intercepted Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray during Arizona's first drive. Roland-Wallace added another interception off Clayton Tune early in the third quarter.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew led two drives for Kansas City after Mahomes exited; one resulted in a touchdown. Bailey Zappe and Chris Oladokun handled quarterback duties for the remainder of the game.

Arizona outscored Kansas City 17-3 following Minshew’s exit from play. The preseason contest provided opportunities for players aiming to secure roster spots ahead of final cuts.

Two Chiefs players left due to injury: safety Deon Bush (Achilles) and cornerback Jaylen Watson (concussion protocol).

The team will return to St. Joseph for three more days of training camp before traveling to Seattle for their next preseason matchup on Friday night.