The NFL returned on Thursday night, and it was almost exactly where it left off in January/February ... with the Chiefs just a much better team than the Texans in their 34-20 victory that wasn't even that close.
Some takeaways and lingering thoughts on what we saw:
• Preseason is for suckers: For years, and especially this summer, we were all told the value of the NFL exhibition season (they hate that reference; they much prefer "preseason" because they know it keeps up the illusion) — even it was cut in half from four to two games. Most of it was from the ownership side, because god forbid the owners didn't get hard-working season ticket holders to fork over full ticket and parking prices for another four games.
But this summer we heard the sob story — mostly from the agent community — about how much value there is in the exhibition games because the undrafted free agents wouldn't get their showcases without the games. There is a little bit of truth to that, especially this summer, but not because of the lack of game showcases — because the practice field time for all rookies was cut so severely they were way behind the veterans to the point some teams kept experience over younger legs for that reason (the Patriots didn't ... in recent years they've always kept the veterans ... look at last season).
Trust me, in a normal offseason with minicamps, OTAs and a full training camp, any and all UDFAs and rookies would have had ample opportunities to show they could hold their own in the NFL. Would games help a guy here or there because they're better in games? Sure, but not an overwhelming number. In almost every instance, the player that showed out in the exhibition games was doing it on the practice field as well. Rookie Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire — one of the players the Patriots passed on in the trade out of 23 in this draft (and one of my draft binkies) — certainly looked just fine with a limited training camp with 138 yards rushing and a 27-yard touchdown.
But, more importantly, the game looked exactly like any other season-opener, maybe even better. There were only six combined penalties. There were zero fumbles and the normal amount of dropped passes even on a rainy night. There didn't seem to be an inordinate amount of missed tackles. Patrick Mahomes was great (123.3 rating) without looking taxed. The Texans looked inefficient on offense and the defense was actually OK considering the Houston offense couldn't stay on the field. There were even some questionable Bill O'Brien in-game coaching moves. OK, so maybe some injuries were on the uptick, but they didn't seem to be out of line with other season openers.
In other words, it looked like any other season-opening game.
So why do we need exhibition games again? What will be the new battle cry for all four of those games to come back?
How about this: every team needs to have one practice with another team and it has to be televised — both teams get the film on the other and could, in theory, share it with anyone although they don't show much in those practices in any event. And stop taking people's money for a terrible product.
I'm telling you this right now, NFL teams will play their starters even less in exhibitions going forward if this continues into the weekend. They're all obsessed about injuries. All vital starters will remain in bubblewrap.
• The Chiefs aren't going away: Sometimes you see first-time champions get fat and happy. And considering all the quarantining, you'd figure this season would be ripe for that. But the Chiefs looked just as formidable on both sides of the ball as they did from last season, and you could tell they're far from their ceiling.
• The Texans are a good team: The Texans got blown out in KC with fans in attendance, and I'm sure plenty of people will use it to once again pile on O'Brien. Well, lookie here:
Yeah, well, the Chiefs did that to plenty of teams last year, and will again this year. The Chiefs' win was way more a reflection of them than it was the Texans. Houston is breaking in new coordinators on both sides of the ball, and have a bunch of new weapons, which leads us to ...
• Veteran teams without many changes will have an early leg up: Houston had a new running back (David Johnson) and two new receivers (Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb) ... and they looked like they haven't been working together for very long. The Texans were very conservative on offense, almost like they were just trying to hold serve. Compare that to the Chiefs that basically only had a new RB and LG, and they looked way ahead of the Texans' offense. Also, the Chiefs were excellent on defense — where they return the entire unit.
This is mostly good news for the Patriots' defense, if their rookie linebackers can perform. It wasn't great news for the offense, where everything is new from Cam Newton to the types of plays they will be running, plus two rookie tight ends and receivers getting used to the new QB.
• Simple schemes: Didn't really see anything crazy out of either team tonight, especially the Chiefs, who are more innovative than other teams. Looked like both teams went with a concise playbook and with plays they have repped a lot while they got their feet under them. The Chiefs also ran more than they passed (34 rushes, 33 pass attempts) — and Andy Reid hates to run. Again, along the lines of keeping it simple, and it also helped to keep the playcount down to help with fatigue. Also, the Texans' seemed to basically rip off the Patriots' defensive playbook against Mahomes: play a safety over Tyreek Hill at all times, and give them the run.
• Refereeing wasn't terrible: Yes, Clete Blakeman's crew got the first two touchdowns wrong, but they mostly stayed out of the way and the game kept moving. Remember, this was the first game action for these guys too, including dealing with their masks while performing their duties. I thought it was a good start.
• Chiefs fans barely registered: Kansas City allowed for 15,895 to be at the game and while they certainly made some noise, it did not influence the game in any form. Of course, that still won't stop some fanbases (and teams) from crying about a competitive disadvantage.
• Bonus: Bill Belichick needs one of these:
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