Patrick Mahomes had a quiet first start for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mahomes' first appearance as the Chiefs' starting quarterback lasted nine plays and netted 29 yards Thursday during a 17-10 loss to the Houston Texans in the preseason opener for both teams.Now Dustin Hopkins Jersey , the challenge for Mahomes, who finished 5 of 7 for 33 yards on his two drives, is to use the game to get ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 9 at the Los Angeles Chargers."We've got to just keep perfecting our craft, keep perfecting the plays and hopefully move the ball and score a few more touchdowns," he said, calling the preseason "a little bit of a tease."Mahomes, who took over the starting job when Alex Smith was traded to Washington during the offseason, was sacked once and didn't throw a touchdown or interception in a solid, if unspectacular, performance."Just scoring a touchdown or a field goal would probably have made it a lot better," Mahomes said. "We moved the ball a little bit; we made some plays. But at the same time, you want to kind of get the drive going a little bit more."Eventually, Chiefs fans will get to see Mahomes' full ability on display. He didn't complete a pass longer than 14 yards and never targeted Sammy Watkins — who signed a three-year, $48 million deal in the offseason — on Thursday."Being the quarterback that I am Cheap Montae Nicholson Jersey , I like to take shots downfield," Mahomes said. "I just didn't get the opportunity to do it tonight."The announced crowd of 58,465 also witnessed the return of Houston's second-year franchise quarterback in Deshaun Watson, who was selected two picks after Mahomes at No. 12 overall in the 2017 draft.Watson won the Texans' starting job last season, but missed the second half of the season with a torn ACL. He played only one series and threw only one pass — a 4-yard completion to wide receiver Bruce Ellington — while handing off four times to running back Lamar Miller."I thought it was important for him to go through the whole warmup process and preparation for the game and get out there and operate the offense," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said.That was good enough for Watson, who relished the return."It was a good time to get the juices flowing a little bit, to hear the fans and just walk on the field," Watson said.Brandon Weeden took over for Houston after the game's opening drive and led back-to-back touchdown drives — including a 12-play, 68-yard drive during his first series that was capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Jordan Akins.Weeden hooked up with Akins for a 14-yard touchdown on the next drive and finished 9 of 11 for 97 yards with two touchdowns after starting out with two incompletions.Mahomes' backup, Chad Henne, was responsible for the lone Chiefs touchdown — a 24-yard pass over the top to Demarcus Robinson late in the second quarter."I want to come out and show the coaches I can make plays, so it was pretty good," Robinson said. "We had a double move called Morgan Moses Jersey , so I gave him a little hesitation about 5 yards off the line and it was a great ball."Robinson finished with three catches for a game-high 48 yards, while Henne finished 8 of 14 for 91 yards with a touchdown and an interception.Several notable players were absent for both teams.Chiefs safety Eric Berry (Achilles' heel) didn't dress for the game. Backup Eric Murray got the start instead alongside rookie safety Armani Watts, who replaced injured starter Daniel Sorenson (knee)."When they came and told me (I was starting), I was just ready," said Watts, a rookie fourth-round pick from Texas A&M. "That's what you've got to be as the next man up."Kansas City also was without both starting inside linebackers — Anthony Hitchens, a free-agent acquisition from the Cowboys, and Reggie Ragland.Houston had its share of absences as well — including linebacker Whitney Mercilus (soft tissue injury), who didn't make the trip.Linebackers Benardrick McKinney and Jadeveon Clowney, defensive end J.J. Watt, safety Tyrann Mathieu and cornerback Johnathan Joseph also didn't play along with starting wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller.NATIONAL ANTHEMThere were no protests from players on either team — though a few Chiefs, in particular, stood well off the sideline near the benches — during the national anthem. It didn't appear that any players went to the locker room for the anthem.INJURIESTexans LB Kennan Gilchrist did not return after absorbing a helmet-to-helmet blow late in the fourth quarter.Coach Andy Reid said the Chiefs had three injuries — C Jimmy Murray (left knee), RB Kerwynn Williams (head) Tress Way Jersey , and G Ethan Cooper (left shoulder).NEXT UPThe Chiefs (0-1) return to action Friday, Aug. 17, at the Atlanta Falcons.The Texans (1-0) host the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, Aug. 18. OffenseTaylor Cornelius, QBSchool: Oklahoma State | Conference: BIG 12College Experience: RS Senior | Age: 23Height / Weight: 6-6 / 232 lbsCornelius has been a fine replacement at QB for the Cowboys since Mason Rudolph left last season. Oklahoma State’s offense is no doubt a QBs dream if he wants to put up big stats. Cornelius won’t match Rudolph’s numbers from last year but he’ll come relatively close. I think one of the more important statistics to keep in mind when evaluating these Air Raid / Spread offense QBs is TD to INT ratio. Cornelius currently has a ratio of 2.875 which is quite good. Cornelius managed to keep pace with Kyler Murray all night in the latest Bedlam contest and the Cowboys came up just a point sort due to their kicker missing an extra point earlier in the game and Cornelius throwing a duck on a late two point conversion attempt. Still he finished this matchup going 34 for 53 for 501 yards and 3 TDs. He’ll be an interesting late round QB to keep an eye on if he decides to go to the NFL. Michael Deiter, OGSchool: Wisconsin | Conference: BIG 10College Experience: Senior | Age: 22?Height / Weight: 6-6 / 310 lbsFinally an offensive lineman! I would have loved to cover more of these guys by now for you all but analysis and more importantly highlight clips are hard to come by this year in part due to lack of depth at the position. Michael Deiter is a good player to start with though as he will be a good value at OG coming off the board in the mid-rounds this coming draft. Wisconsin’s offensive line was/is largely hailed as the best in the country and Deiter is a big part of that units success. Deiter has experience playing LT, LG, and C but currently holds down the LG spot for the Badgers. Deiter is a mauler and can handle his opponents in tight spaces especially on the run. His footwork and and balance need work though as he has struggled with quick interior defenders. Still he has the tools that offensive line coaches will like to work with especially in the middle rounds of the draft. Dieter helped Jonathan Taylor rip off 185 yards on the ground and a touchdown this past weekend against the Nittany Lions.Check out his ability to pull in the clip below. Antoine Wesley, WRSchool: Texas Tech | Conference: BIG 12College Experience: Junior | Age: 21?Height / Weight: 6-5 / 185 lbsAntoine Wesley is 2nd in the nation in receiving yards with 1,347. He has been such a weapon in Texas Tech’s Air Raid offense but it isnt just the scheme that’s allowed him to put up such big numbers. Wesley has a rare blend of size and speed. He simply is taller than most guys on the field a good athlete for his body type and he uses his length and catch radius to haul in catches others can’t make. If he declares and depending on how well he tests Wesley could be a nice option for a team who’s offense centers on stretching the field. Wesley put up big numbers against a solid Texas defense hauling in 8 catches for 171 yards and 2 TDs.Stanley Morgan Jr., WRSchool: Nebraska | Conference: BIG 10College Experience: Senior | Age: 22Height / Weight: 6-1 / 200 lbsI’ve been wanting to write about Stanley Morgan Jr. since last year. I briefly mentioned him in the draft profile for Josh Jackson last year as well as the in a Closer Look series featuring De’Mornay Pierson-El. I think Morgan Jr. deserves to be mentioned amongst the top receiving options in the upcoming draft. I think Morgan Jr. has performed well in spite of poor QB play during his time at Nebraska. He comes from good pedigree as well as he is the son of Stanley Morgan the former great Patriots and Colts receiver who played from the late 1970’s to 1990. As you would expect Sr. taught Jr. the fundamentals and Morgan is indeed a technician and is well advanced compared to his peers as a route runner and as a natural pass catcher. He isn’t the tallest, biggest, or fastest but he is going to stick in the NFL and be productive. He finished the game this weekend against Illinois with 8 catches for 131 yards and 2 TDs. Caleb Wilson, TESchool: UCLA | Conference: PAC 12College Experience: Junior | Age: 21?Height / Weight: 6-4 / 235 lbsWilson is an athletic pass catching TE who has be having a solid season thus far. He had the best game of his career this past week against Arizona State where he caught 11 balls for 164 yards and 2 TDs. Wilson as you can see is essentially a big WR but fits into what the NFL wants in their pass catching TEs and he can certainly exploit coverage all over the field. Wilson could not be stopped by the Arizona State defense and took advantage of his matchup against linebackers and safeties. A big test will be coming up for him this weekend against USC but Wilson has positioned himself to be one of the top TEs drafted if he decides to declare. DefenseAustin Bryant Cheap Da'Ron Payne Jersey , EDGESchool: Clemson | Conference: ACCCollege Experience: Senior | Age: 21Height / Weight: 6-5 / 265 lbsAustin Bryant, Christian Wilkins, and Clelin Ferrell all decided to return for their senior seasons so that they could win a championship. All 3 could be first round picks come draft day. Bryant is a strong contender for the first EDGE prospect off the board in a stacked EDGE class. He has impressive physical skills and can rush the pass as well as play the run. His athleticism allows him to cover sideline to sideline and his instinct and anticipation are among the best in the class. All of those traits showed this weekend against Boston College. Bryant finished with 6 tackles (2 TFLs) and 1.5 sacks. If you have time I suggest you watch the game recap below Bryant has impact on the field that is not measured in stats as well and you’ll be able to see why he’ll be a top choice next draft. Checkout 9:42, 12:44Kenneth Edison-McGruder, S/LBSchool: Oklahoma State | Conference: BIG 12College Experience: Senior | Age: 21Height / Weight: 6-0 / 220 lbsIn a game that basically had no defense Edison-McGruder shined a bit in his attempt to try and stop a high powered Oklahoma offense. McGruder is the 3rd safety in Oklahoma State’s defense he is used as a swiss army knife and can drop back into single high coverage, come up and act as linebacker or play nickel CB in certain packages. In his most effective plays he was used as a nickel LB and used to rush the passer. He finished this contest with 12 tackles (3 TFLs), and 2 sacks. Teams looking for a hybrid safety linebacker ought to find value in a player like him and additional value in his reputation for being a fierce competitor and leader on the field. Checkout 11:42, 14:24David Long Jr., LBSchool: West Virginia | Conference: BIG 12College Experience: RS Junior | Age: 22?Height / Weight: 5-11 / 221 lbsDavid Long Jr. was unstoppable against TCU this past weekend. Long without a doubt is one of the most productive football players in the country and he showed it in this game. Long should be in the conversation with top ILB prospects such as Te’Veon Coney and Devin White in my opinion as he is just as if not more prolific and shares some of their best traits. Long cause disruption all afternoon against the Horned Frogs and finished with 6 tackles (4 TFLs), and 3 sacks. The knock on Long will be that he’s 10-20 lbs undersized for the position and that he doesn’t have elite athleticism but trust me he reads and reacts to plays just fine.Checkout 25:55, 40:50, 1:04:22, 1:39:20, 2:02:58Darrell Taylor Matthew Ioannidis Jersey , EDGESchool: Tennessee | Conference: SECCollege Experience: RS Junior | Age: 21Height / Weight: 6-4 / 247 lbsSpeaking of monster games Darrell Taylor had one this past weekend too. Taylor actually plays DE on the defensive line of Tennessee when the team is in a 4 man front and converts back to SAM linebacker when the defense is in a odd front. He can rush off the edge or make interior moves. Taylor wrecked Kentucky’s offensive line and racked up 4 sacks against them. Taylor was extremely active this game finishing with a stat line of 7 tackles (4 TFLs), 4 sacks, 1 FF, and 1 FR. He is going to be one of those fun players to watch because if he lands in the right scheme watch out NFL.T.J. Brunson, LBSchool: South Carolina | Conference: SECCollege Experience: Junior | Age: 20Height / Weight: 6-1 / 240 lbsTalk about production T.J. Brunson has 45 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks in just the past three games. He was a force against Florida and allowed the game to be competitive with his disruptions on defense. Brunson is another interesting potential mid-round option this year at ILB. He’s also one of the most productive players in college football at the position but is much more of a downhill player at the position compared to the more well rounded options. Still, you can count on Brunson to pressure the QB and stuff the run. He did that to the best of his ability this game and finished with 16 tackles (3 TFLs), 2 sacks, and 1 FF. Checkout :52, 8:02 Custom Green Bay Packers Jerseys