The Kansas City Chiefs fell behind early in their 2023 preseason schedule against the New Orleans Saints before mounting a comeback, but ultimately losing. Things took a very different turn against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night.

With a quick 7-0 advantage that was 17-7 at the half, Kansas City’s starters put in some solid work before handing the ball over to their backups, and there was no noticeable decline in performance. At the conclusion of the night, the Chiefs prevailed with a huge 38-10 victory. A two-score third quarter contributed to extending the lead. With one more game left in the preseason, Andy Reid’s team has a record of 1–1.

Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s game.

1. The first-stringers got off to a much better start

After the Chiefs’ offense and defense struggled out of the gate against the Saints last week, many clamored for a much better performance this time around. With some sound play on both sides of the ball in the first quarter, that’s exactly what happened. Kansas City delivered.

Nine of the 10 receivers that quarterback Patrick Mahomes targeted for completions received passes. On offense, several guys distinguished out for the right reasons by cutting off long plays. Steve Spagnuolo played much better defense this week than he did last. Colt McCoy, the seasoned Cardinals quarterback, completed just seven passes for a total of 25 yards in the first quarter. An better, but still imperfect, performance by the opponents was evidenced by Arizona’s two punts in the first quarter and one on its first possession of the second. After a sluggish start a week ago, the Chiefs needed this stride in the right direction more than anything.

2. Kansas City’s new tackle duo is making a good first impression

When the Chiefs let Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie walk out the door during the offseason, there were serious questions about what the bookend protectors of Mahomes would look like. The Donovan Smith-Jawaan Taylor duo entered training camp and the preseason without having shown anything outside of practice reps but two weeks and a handful of snaps into the preseason, both have played quite well.

Smith, who played through injuries last season, is back to being a mauler. Despite now being on the wrong side of 30, he’s also moving well. On the opposite side of the line, Taylor’s fluidity and first step are even better than expected. They both kept Mahomes squeaky clean in Arizona and if that’s a sign of things to come, Kansas City’s experiment could be deemed a success in the regular season. It’s early, although a good start is better than an alarming one.

3. A rookie standout on each side of the ball

Kansas City’s rookie class has been a subject of discussion all offseason, and the first week of the preseason saw multiple members of the group ascend with their play. This week was no different, and two players separated themselves. On offense, wide receiver Rashee Rice was masterful after an early drop. Hauling in seven passes for 85 yards in the first half, the second-round pick was used in a variety of ways and showed off his prowess both before, during and after the catch. Rice was featured in the Chiefs’ offensive game plan, and he capitalized more often than not.

On the other side, fourth-round defensive back Chamarri Conner continued to make the most of his opportunities. Being used as a free blitzer, slot option, front-line rusher and safety during Saturday’s game, the Virginia Tech product showed versatility similar to starting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. As Sneed continues to deal with swelling in his knee, Conner is stepping up to the plate and emerging as someone who could be more than just a special teams piece if he keeps up the good work. General manager Brett Veach may have found another Day 3 chess piece.

4. All of the Chiefs’ quarterbacks impressed

The Chiefs’ offense had a ton of success at multiple positions on Saturday, but no group played better than the quarterbacks. After Mahomes’s 10-for-15 performance, Shane Buechele completed all 10 of his passes and also ran for a touchdown. Backup Blaine Gabbert entered following him, going 7-for-8 for 120 yards and a pair of scores while posting a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the process. Chris Oladokun, coming off an up-and-down week against the Saints, extended multiple plays and led a scoring drive in the fourth quarter. On a night that saw so many pass-catchers get good reps in, their field generals were stellar in sharing the love.