Predicting how long Kansas City Chiefs starters will play in first preseason game

How long will the Kansas City Chiefs starters play in the first preseason game on Thursday against the Cincinnati Bengals?

Chiefs coach Andy Reid hasn't addressed the first team playing time yet but it's a good bet they'll see somewhere around a quarter or less of action. That is if the Chiefs handle the preseason similar to the way they did last year.

Last year against the Saints, Alex Smith played for just one series but that was a 14-play series. Somewhere around 1-2 drives is probably a good estimate for most of the first team this year.

Here's how the other QB playing time worked out last year:

• Alex Smith played the first drive
• Chase Daniel played the second drive and through the first half
• Tyler Bray played the third quarter
• Ricky Stanzi played the fourth quarter

Some players involved in a position battle could see more or less time depending on who the coaches want to see. Zach Fulton, for example, is the first team right guard. Because he's a rookie, it wouldn't surprise me to see him receive more snaps than a veteran like Jeff Allen or Rodney Hudson.

"This first game we let everybody play, we get everybody in the ball game," Chiefs OC Doug Pederson said this week. "We want to get everybody on film and get a good evaluation of all our players."

The Chiefs will likely have some injured players who won't participate in the game.