The Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers will square off in the preseason finale on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium. Once it's over, we can all rejoice that real football is upon us. We can build the season up to a point it'll likely never reach, trashing all of our opponents along the way. Hell, what else are Chiefs fans going to do if not talk up their own team while secretly chugging Pepto Bismol like it's a damn beer?
Anyway, I disgress. Here are five things to watch in this potential dumpster fire of a game:
1. Chase Daniel as the No. 2
Daniel looked decent against the Pittsburgh Steelers, leading the ultimate game-winning drive while completing 14 of 24 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. Daniel also rushed for 45 yards. One thing I'd like to see is Daniel sitting in the pocket for a tad longer before tucking and running. Overall though, he's played better as the backup and another solid performance would be positive.
2. Don't look for the starters
It's the fourth preseason game. We aren't learning anything new about Jamaal Charles, Alex Smith or Tamba Hali. Only bad things happen when you put prominent players in for the fourth preseason game. Remember Tony Moeaki against the Packers a few years ago? Yeah, torn ACL. I'd be just fine with the Chiefs taking a knee for 60 minutes.
3. Dave Toub just because
Seeing Dave Toub makes everyone associated with the Chiefs smile like an idiot, so why not? Read the ode to Dave Toub.
4. O-Line improvement
The Chiefs have looked like an unmitigated disaster at times up front. It would be nice to see the second-stringers who could see ample time as starters (Geoff Schwartz, Donald Stephenson) step up and play good football. It's not exactly something to panic over, but injuries happen and these guys need to be better than they've shown.
5. WRs Junior Hemingway and Rico Richardson
There might only be one spot on the roster for these guys, so who steps up in their final audition. My money is on Junior Hemingway, but Rico Richardson has opened eyes. It's nice to have some legitimate competition at the bottom of the roster, and not just two semi-warm bodies (see: Darling, Devard and Bradley, Mark) to pick between.