The Kansas City Chiefs opened up their 2026 preseason schedule on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams. When all was said and done, Andy Reid and company lost by a final score of 20-12.
At the end of the day, wins and losses don’t matter in preseason action. What really matters is the team getting up to game speed and figuring out who belongs on the final 53-man roster.
Justin Fields was a nice bright spot for the Chiefs. He completed all four of his passes for 41 yards. Garrett Nussmeier made his NFL preseason debut with 98 yards and completing 13 of his 19 passes. Emmett Johnson played well also with 12 carries for 59 yards on the ground.
Following the game, Reid made it clear that he sees one major improvement that must be made before the regular season arrives.
Chiefs’ Andy Reid Reveals Biggest Needed Improvement Before Regular Season
Reid was very adamant with his statement. He was short and clear with the area of improvement needed most.
“Penalties,” Reid said. “That would be the No. 1 thing to be cleaned up.”
Throughout the course of the game, Kansas City struggled with penalties. The Chiefs ended up being flagged 12 times that cost the team 83 yards.
Come regular season time, penalties are a big difference between winning and losing. If Kansas City wants to get back to being a top Super Bowl contender, the team will need to follow Reid’s advice. Having 12 penalties in a game simply can’t happen often.
That being said, this is the exact reason preseason games are so important.
Kansas City Could Be Making Its Last Run as We Know It
Entering the 2026 NFL season, Chiefs fans are very aware that the current makeup of the team could be heading into its final season together.
Over the last couple of years, the rumors surrounding Travis Kelce’s potential retirement have grown very loud. Kelce has not announced that this is his final NFL season, but there is a very real chance that it will be.
Patrick Mahomes isn’t getting any younger. He will head into this season at 30 years old. Time has been flying on his career.
Kansas City has also gone through roster change over the last couple of years. Just this past offseason, the Chiefs lost both Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to the Rams. Chris Jones is another player to watch heading into the future, as he is now 32 years old.
It will be interesting to see if Kansas City has another vintage run left. On paper, there is plenty of talent on the Chiefs’ roster for them to make another Super Bowl run.
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