The preseason debut for the Kansas City Chiefs ended in a 34-19 win over the Arizona Cardinals and smiles, but they had nothing to do with Alex Smith, putting in a poor performance. Chase Daniel doing well against backups and Eric Berry making his return to the field were responsible.
Smith completed just six of 10 passes while throwing one interception and rushing for 16 yards in a poor performance from him, while Chase Daniel, the former Missouri quarterback who has been bouncing around the league for quite some time, scorched the field in the second quarter and overall finishing with three touchdown passes to Fred Williams, Frankie Hammond and Da’Ron Brown.
No Jamaal Charles on the field, giving others an opportunity to show their running skills. Carchandrick West ran for 49 yards on only six carries, while Darrin Reaves scored a touchdown and carries the ball 12 times, more than anyone else for the Chiefs. Knile Davis rushed four times for 23 yards, hoping he gets more of a role in the running game this season.
Berry was back only nine months after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He completed treatment in May and was declared cancer-free a month later. He had a big emotional hug with his mother before the game and got a Welcome Back Eric Berry feature on the big screen from the Cardinals. Now the Chiefs hope he doesn’t just return, but plays like the All-Pro he was before the disease.