The Chiefs made the big switch at quarterback this offseason because they thought Patrick Mahomes could make more big plays.
But in his preseason debut as the starter, he had a very Alex Smith-like night.
Mahomes was a clean 5-of-7 for 33 yards in his two possessions against the Texans, both of them ending in punts. One of the incompletions was overthrown for tight end Travis Kelce.
Of course, the Chiefs didn’t exactly unleash him, so it’s unfair to draw too much of a conclusion from the first game of the preseason. He has had some ups and downs in camp, and the Chiefs have said they’re fine with the inevitable mistakes he’ll make at this point in his first season as starter.
On the other side, Texans second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson played one series in his first game back from last year’s torn ACL, and threw one pass before yielding to backup Brandon Weeden.