English: Kansas City Chiefs Field (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
After watching the Kansas City Chiefs first preseason game over a couple of times, I have to say I was very impressed overall with how the team performed. But moving forward they are headed to St. Louis Saturday night for a prime time matchup with Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams. There are a few things I am very interested to see in this game.
1-How much will Dontari Poe play?
I have to admit after one game and a dozen or so practices I am a little worried about where Poe is headed.
Some have said he may start the season as third on the depth chart if his play doesn’t improve. I honestly think that if they really want to see what he’s capable of, they need to get him out there this week against the Rams first team. It’s not exactly a group of All Pros but would be a better test than third and fourth string players.
2-Can the offensive line get better? They had their moments in the first preseason game, but I want to see more consistency in run blocking, particularly with running back Peyton Hillis is on the field, because when they want to line it up and run, it’ll be with Hillis it will be on the line to open some holes for a north/south guy like him.
3-Will there be some big plays in the secondary? The Rams are going be throwing it to those new wide outs, and I still worry about the confidence Bradford is playing with. Which means it’s a perfect time for that back 4 of the Chiefs to get some picks and open some eye with the Chiefs coaching staff. I really think that this could be the strongest of the 3 units this season, but so far they haven’t shown it.
4-Will Josh Bellamy make the final roster this week? The Chiefs front office are in a tight spot with rounding out the wide receiver depth chart, and I just have a feeling that the rookie WR from Louisville is going to make some big plays this week and cement his spot on the final 53. He’s been impressing coaches in practice, but he needs to get on the field and make some plays on offense.
5-Will Dwayne Bowe be in the building? How great would it be for fans and players to see Bowe there? He was in Kansas City last week, but while it was rumored he’d sign his tender, he left without signing. It would mean a lot in the eyes of the organization if he were there this week, signaling his return.
Quick prediction-The Chiefs looked like a very confident football team last week against a bad Arizona Cardinals team. This week they get a Rams team stinging from a bad game last week and will be looking to rebound at home. I think it’ll be a fun game to watch, and while the final score won’t really matter, first team against first team, I give the edge to the Chiefs the edge in this one on both sides of the ball.
-Curt Popejoy
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