KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Patrick Mahomes II got his first NFL start on Thursday night.
The Kansas City Chiefs hope its his last for a while.
The Chiefs first-round pick threw for 183 yards and a touchdown in his preseason finale, helping them to a 30-6 rout of the Tennessee Titans in a game that was played primarily by backups on both sides.
Mahomes got the nod with Alex Smith and the rest of the starters sitting out, and he once more showed why the Chiefs moved up to draft him 10th overall in April. The former Texas Tech standout scrambled to keep plays alive, stood tall in the pocket and used his big arm to make plays downfield.
This was a good experience for him, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. I thought he handled the last few days well. He knew he was going to start. But now he has to carry that into being a backup.
His favorite target was second-year pro Demarcus Robinson , who may have locked up the Chiefs final wide receiver job. He had three catches for 127 yards, including a 28-yard TD strike just before halftime.
I feel like Ive gotten better every single day, and thats been the plan all along, said Mahomes, who beat out Tyler Bray for the No. 2 job. I mean, its a process, but you want to make sure you come in every single practice, every single game and improve.
Rookie wide receiver Jehu Chesson also solidified his roster spot with a weaving, dodging 76-yard punt return touchdown for Kansas City. Backup tight end Gavin Escobar may have done likewise when he hauled in a juggling touchdown catch from Bray late in the third quarter.
Titans coach Mike Mularkey said early in the week that all 90 would play in the preseason finale, as if an uneven performance last week against Chicago meant his starters would get at least some work.
But after the Chiefs kicked off, it was former quarterback Matt Cassel rather than Marcus Mariota who led the Titans onto the field. Cassel was joined by a flotilla of Tennessee backups, including a couple such as David Fluellen, who carried 19 times for 74 yards still trying to earn a job.
Im confident in my ability and just hope that the people making the decisions feel the same way, said wide receiver Tre McBride, who had three catches as he tried to earn one of the Titans final roster spots.
On defense, first-round pick Adoree Jackson made a couple of nice plays while trying to earn one of their starting cornerback jobs. He even flashed some good hands by picking a pass on a tipped ball, though a video review showed he landed on the out of bounds line.
I told our guys Im actually very proud of them, Mularkey said, because I know each and every one of them that played tonight, some of them its their last game. They gave their best effort and competed as best they could. At the end of the day thats all you can ask of yourself when you walk off the field.
The Chiefs open the season next Thursday night in New England,
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