5 winners and 4 losers from the Chiefs’ loss to the Texans

Winners

Kansas City Chiefs fans finally got to see a quarterback the Chiefs had actually drafted play with the starters in a preseason game. It’s been more than a whole generation since that’s happened, and for a lot of younger Chiefs fans, it must have been an awesome and emotional experience.

Patrick Mahomes played the nine most highly-anticipated snaps of his life, and lived to tell about it. It’s not easy for a 22-year-old man to deal with the pressure of being an NFL quarterback — much less one with the expectations Mahomes is carrying. He made some good throws, played smart, and didn’t screw the pooch. That puts him above about 9 in 10 quarterbacks who find themselves in similar circumstances.

Chase Litton didn’t play like he was a candidate to be the Chiefs starting quarterback — but then again, no one expected him to do so. He played with poise and moxie, and he made some nice throws in clutch situations. It’s entirely possible he could be the third quarterback on the Chiefs’ roster in 2018. We’ll see.

Demarcus Robinson keeps making us think he has a chance to be a serious contributor to the Chiefs offense. He had three catches for 48 yards on Thursday night, and we aren’t changing our minds.

The Chiefs training and medical staff had an easy night. That’s always a desirable outcome in an NFL game — but especially in a preseason NFL game.

Losers

Kansas City Chiefs fans didn’t get to see their new quarterback throw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill on the first play of the game — or even the ninth. I’m sure it was a bitter disappointment to some fans. But don’t worry. Those moments are coming, and they’re going to be just as much fun as you think.

The Chiefs defense gave up 4.6 yards per rushing attempt, and allowed the Texans to convert 44 percent of their third downs. We have been told these are points of emphasis for the defense this season, but these numbers are going in the wrong direction. Improvement is desired, please. Thanks.

Demetrius Harris had two targets and two catches for 22 yards. I’ve put him in the losers because if he keeps this up, he’ll lose his Incompletrius moniker. So keep up the bad work, buddy. You can do it.

NFL officials are getting more and more unpredictable. First, they couldn’t decide what a catch was. Now it appears they can’t identify pass interference. But let’s cut them some slack, shall we? It’s preseason. We should have faith. Give them some time, and they’ll find more ways to aggravate us.