Chiefs Will Face Milroe Plus Backups In Final Preseason Game
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The Kansas City Chiefs won’t be playing quarterback Patrick Mahomes in their final preseason game tonight, and they won’t be facing the starters on the other side, either. Coach Mike McDonald of the Seattle Seahawks said he'll have his first-teamers on the sidelines, with Jalen Milroe expected to go the distance at quarterback, according to a report from Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.
Milroe is third on the depth chart for the Seahawks behind Sam Darnold and Drew Lock, and he’s 11-of-19 so far in the preseason for 88 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Alabama product has also rushed for 52 yards on six attempts.
“I think it’s really great that he has an opportunity — just like the Green Bay [preseason] game last year — where you’re not subbing in, you’re not coming in at halftime,” Macdonald said. “You’re going through the whole process of starting a game and getting in rhythm, managing the situations — all those things we want from our quarterback.
“So, excited to see him play. It’s a great opportunity.”
The translation for this bit of coach-speak is that this game will probably be the usual preseason slop, with backups making mistakes as they try to make plays and win jobs.
It’s lamentable that the NFL continues to put these games on the field as part of its product, but until someone in the league office wakes up and realizes it’s time to eliminate these anachronisms, coaches will do what they have to do and get through the games.
McDonald also mentioned that Drew Lock will be ready to play of necessary, with Darnold on the sidelines in bubble wrap, and he did add that free-agent signee Trevon Diggs will get some time at cornerback, per Simmons.
The Chiefs will probably go with their array of backup quarterbacks, but this game could actually be important for Justin Fields, depending on how long he’s on the field. Fields hasn’t been anything special in training camp, and Kansas City found out how important the backup QB can be last year when Gardner Minshew II came on in relief of Mahomes and couldn’t get the offense lined up right in a key game against the Houston Texans.
If you’re looking for the Chiefs’ human white flag tonight, that would be fourth quarterback Chris Oladokun, who could be a cut candidate and might be lucky to make the practice squad this time around with Garrett Nussmeier having played reasonably well.
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