Kansas City Chiefs: Mahomes, Dieter, Niemann shine in Atlanta

The Kansas City Chiefs have quite a bit to be happy about after a rough start against the Atlanta Falcons. The youth movement is taking over.

The Kansas City Chiefs did not disappoint fans on Friday night. There was plenty to get excited about after an extremely slow start against the Atlanta Falcons. The youth movement is alive and well.

What looked like a dumpster fire in the making quickly turned into a game to remember, yes, a preseason game to remember.

Patrick Mahomes was efficient again, going 8-12 on the night for 138 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also carried the ball twice for 16 yards. The talk of the league will be the touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill.

More from KC Kingdom

At the Chiefs 31 yard line, Patrick Mahomes called for the snap out of the shotgun formation, stepped up into the pocket, and threw the ball farther than any NFL touchdown pass in 2017 according to Andrew Siciliano of NFL.com. Tyreek Hill caught the ball at the six-yard line and continued into the end zone for a 69-yard touchdown pass.

That ball traveled through the air for 68.6 yards. In a split second everything beforehand seemed obsolete. Earlier in the game, he was intercepted on a fairly deep pass to Sammy Watkins. The safety read his eyes and easily snatched the ball out of the air. Mahomes almost got intercepted in the end zone as well.

Gehrig Dieter continues to make the most of each opportunity. For the second straight week, he ran with the first team special teams group. In the third quarter, he made the most of his short stint of action.

On third and nine, Dieter cut across the middle of the field and made a great catch on a ball thrown behind him then fought for the extra yards to get the first down.

After sitting out a few downs, Dieter returned to the field. From the 27 yard line, Dieter made a move at the line of scrimmage and took off down the far sideline to make a wide-open catch from Chad Henne for his first NFL touchdown.

Ben Niemann has come from nowhere and Chiefs fans couldn’t be any happier other than if he played safety. His play last week against Houston caught the attention of most. His encore was a better show than the original.

Niemann had five total tackles, but only two were solo. The box score speaks volumes as to how this kid from Iowa is playing. He seems to be involved in every play, finding himself around the ball constantly.

The highlight of the night for Niemann came with just under 10 minutes in the fourth quarter. He stayed put in the middle of the field and never took his eyes off the quarterback. A sloppy throw practically went right to him and he sprinted to the end zone for a pick-six. Niemann also spent time with the first team special teams group.

There were others that impressed as well. Kansas City seems set at the defensive tackle spot. Xavier Williams and rookie Derrick Nnadi look absolutely fantastic so far. Nnadi had himself a good day, collecting a sack on three tackles.

Dorian O’Daniel might be the hardest hitting Chief on the roster. He only had two tackles but it is clear that anything in front of him is in danger.

Armani Watts forced a fumble on the last real play of the game. The ball was recovered by the Chiefs.

Top 15 Quarterbacks to target in '18. dark. Next

There is plenty of young talent on the roster, which bodes well for the Chiefs in the future. As for the present, this group seems ready to go right now.

*Note: All game stats are credited to espn.com

Home/Kansas City Chiefs