Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons lost their preseason openers but their starters didn’t play much if at all in some cases. That should change Friday night when the two meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium – host of this season’s Super Bowl. The Falcons are slight Mybookie Sportsbook favorites.
Coach Dan Quinn thought the rookie class was ready to play in the preseason opener but felt they were “tight” and didn’t play well. He said the team was “sloppy” and committed too many penalties. Wide receiver Devin Gray, quarterback Kurt Benkert, defensive tackle Deadrin Senat and cornerback Isaiah Oliver were singled out for playing well.
“I was so looking forward to this game,” Quinn said. “It was a big evaluation opportunity (for) a number of guys, at a number of different spots. I thought we missed our mark in some instances.”
Benkert, who played as the third quarterback against the Jets, completed three passes of 20 yards or more. He opened with a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Dontez Byrd. He also had a 30-yard and a 23-yard completion to Gray, who led the team with four catches for 84 yards. Benkert received a $60,000 signing bonus, the largest amount of the undrafted rookie draft class. He completed 9 of 17 passes for 125 yards and had an interception.
Chiefs at Falcons 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 Odds & Pick
“Those guys really mesh well on and off the field. I think they both do a great job together and they have really good chemistry that was evident on the field.” – Mark DeLeone on @reggieragland and @AnthonyHitchens
What We Learned ➡️ https://t.co/8FnyLHFOTi pic.twitter.com/Mp04hzILSE — Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) 12 de agosto de 2018
- When: Friday, 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- TV: NFL Network (replay)
- Radio:Siriusxm.com/nfl
- Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
- 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 Odds: Atlanta Falcons -2.5 (Total 38)
Jets vs Redskins 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 Lines & Prediction
Why Bet on Kansas City?
The Chiefs were beaten 17-10 at home by Houston last Thursday. New starting QB Patrick Mahomes completed 5-of-7 passes for 33 yards. Mahomes’ first pass of the night was a 14-yard gain to Travis Kelce, and the tight end picked up another first down on the next series. Decent outing for a guy who has struggled with picks during practices. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he wasn’t concerned about all those picks: “I told you at the beginning of camp I don’t care about all that stuff. I want him to test the offense. … If you don’t have the intestinal fortitude to go test if you’re going to be one of those quarterbacks who checks it down every time. That’s not what it’s all about.” Mahomes threw 29 interceptions across 32 college starts at Texas Tech. Despite allowing Mahomes to be hit by defenders on three plays in the first quarter of last week’s preseason game against Houston, the Chiefs opted to make no changes to their offensive line in the two practice sessions since. They stayed with the same five who tried to protect Mahomes against the Texans. Offensive line coach Andy Heck sounded like no other changes would be coming at least until after this preseason game against the Falcons. “We’ve got a high standard,” Heck said. “We’ve been a young line in the past but right now we’re one of the older, more experienced groups on this team. So we expect a lot out of those guys . . . We’re very concerned as a line but not overly so. We’ve got some work to do. This is training camp. This is part of the process.” Kansas City safety Daniel Sorensen (knee, shin) is expected to miss at least six weeks. Sorensen had surgery to repair a tibia fracture and is also recovering from a torn MCL. He’s going to be sidelined into the early part of the regular season and may be a candidate for injured reserve. The 28-year-old Sorensen became a starter last season, his fourth with the Chiefs after being signed as an undrafted rookie from BYU. Sorensen replaced Eric Berry, who missed all but the season opener after tearing his Achilles tendon. Guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif left Sunday’s practice with a head injury. He’s being evaluated for a concussion. Berry didn’t suit up for practice on Sunday with a sore heel, joining cornerback Makinton Dorleant (hamstring), safety Leon McQuay (hamstring), center Jimmy Murray (sore knee), offensive guard Alex Officer (knee), cornerback Keith Reaser (quad strain) and Sorensen as the players that didn’t take the field. Running back Charcadrick West, who has missed the last several practices, has been cleared for the last two days as a limited participant as he works his way through the concussion protocol.Why Bet on Atlanta?
The Falcons were 17-0 losers at the Jets last Friday. Matt Ryan played the first series for the Falcons and completed his only attempt to rookie Calvin Ridley for a 2-yard loss. He was replaced by veteran Matt Schaub, who went 9 of 9 for 54 yards while playing the rest of the first half. The Falcons, who finished with 11 first downs, were also called for 10 penalties resulting in 71 yards lost. Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman did not play, despite being healthy. Kicker Matt Bryant and offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo had previously been scratched. First-round WR Ridley left practice on Saturday with a hamstring injury but was back on Sunday so he’s apparently fine.
Coach Dan Quinn thought the rookie class was ready to play in the preseason opener but felt they were “tight” and didn’t play well. He said the team was “sloppy” and committed too many penalties. Wide receiver Devin Gray, quarterback Kurt Benkert, defensive tackle Deadrin Senat and cornerback Isaiah Oliver were singled out for playing well.
“I was so looking forward to this game,” Quinn said. “It was a big evaluation opportunity (for) a number of guys, at a number of different spots. I thought we missed our mark in some instances.”
Benkert, who played as the third quarterback against the Jets, completed three passes of 20 yards or more. He opened with a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Dontez Byrd. He also had a 30-yard and a 23-yard completion to Gray, who led the team with four catches for 84 yards. Benkert received a $60,000 signing bonus, the largest amount of the undrafted rookie draft class. He completed 9 of 17 passes for 125 yards and had an interception.
Steelers at Packers 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 Odds & Pick
Latest NFL Betting Trends
- Chiefs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall
- Chiefs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games
- Falcons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games
