KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes gazed over the first-team Kansas City offense Thursday night, lined up before him as if members of a choir, and together the Chiefs took a poignant penalty to honor Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson.
Then they beat the Green Bay Packers 17-10 in an otherwise forgettable preseason finale.
Third-string quarterback Shane Buechele outplayed Chiefs backup Chad Henne, throwing for 166 yards with a pair of TD tosses to journeyman tight end Matt Bushman. Isaih Pacheco capped a strong rookie camp for Kansas City with 52 yards rushing, while veteran Ronald Jones ran for 43 yards in a last-ditch effort at securing a job.
Meanwhile, the Packers' Jordan Love threw for 148 yards with an interception in his final work before Aaron Rodgers takes over for the regular season. Trent Goodson ran for 28 yards and a score as he tries to win the No. 3 running back job.
Yet it was the penalty to honor Dawson, who died this week at the age of 87, that left the lasting impression.
It came after the first-team Chiefs defense forced the Packers, playing their starting offensive line with Love and a host of backups, to a 3-and-out to start the game. Mahomes headed onto the field with most of Kansas City's starting offense and lined them up in the old-fashioned style of huddle favored by Dawson in the 1960s and '70s.
Mahomes high-fived his guys while allowing the play clock to run out, then the delay-of-game foul was announced not on his No. 15 but on 16, the number Dawson wore during his playing days. Green Bay declined it.
There were plenty of other tributes Thursday night to “Lenny the Cool," who led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title before becoming known to millions more football fans as a Hall of Fame broadcaster. There was a moment of silence before the game and the Chiefs wore a sticker with the No. 16 on his helmet.
Mahomes, who had an excellent first two preseason games, never took a snap before joining Travis Kelce and other Chiefs stars on the sideline. Other starters, such as running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, were done after a couple of snaps.
Most of the work went to those competing for the last few jobs, which must be decided before Tuesday’s deadline for teams to cut rosters to 53 players.