The Chiefs first string may have not been on the field for very long, but the roster is infused with veteran players throughout. Some of those veterans stood out among the rest and will certainly figure into the Chiefs future plans. These are your top veteran performances from the Chiefs preseason Week 1 matchup vs. the Houston Texans. DT Xavier Williams Xavier Williams was my choice for the best player on the field for the Chiefs during the preseason opener. The Kansas City native was absolutely dominant against the Texans starting offensive line. Williams got push and disrupted a ton of running plays for the Texans. He forced the first punt of the game by steam-rolling a run play on third-and-short (with an assist from Ukeme Eligwe and Chris Jones). Williams was combo-blocked on the play by the Texans guard and center, but it didn’t even matter. He made quick work of the double team and notched the run stop showing off tremendous power and strength. I hope this wasn’t a one-off and that Williams will continue to be motivated by playing for the team he idolized growing up. If he does, then Williams will prove to be an upgrade over Bennie Logan. He just might ease the pain of no longer having Dontari Poe as that middle-of-the-field run disruptor. Xavier Williams | Chad Henne | Alex Ellis | Damien Williams | Demarcus Robinson<doc-sep>KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As the Texans return home following a 17-10 preseason road victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, here's a quick-hit look at five stocks that are on the rise and five stocks that are down: Five up Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 1. Deshaun Watson: The Texans' dual-threat quarterback had no setbacks with his surgically-repaired knee and appeared to have his trademark mobility. Most importantly, Watson looked confident and comfortable during an abbreviated appearance in his first game back from an injury that ended his rookie season. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 2. Brandon Weeden: The backup quarterback was nearly perfect in relief of Deshaun Watson, completing 9 of 11 passes for 97 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 143.0 passer rating. All of Weeden's passes were on target and should have been caught. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 3. Jordan Akins: The rookie tight end and former Texas Rangers minor league outfielder caught both passes thrown to him for touchdowns in his first NFL game. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 4. Lamar Miller: Down to 217 pounds, his lightest weight since his days with the Miami Dolphins, Miller broke off a 19-yard run and displayed the open-field wiggle that was missing from his game last season. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 5. Joe Webb: The versatile quarterback played on almost every special-teams unit during the first half then he led the Texans with 42 rushing yards, scrambling away from pursuit. Webb is doing everything he can to make the 53-man roster by volunteering for any job. Five down Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 1. Bruce Ellington: The reserve wide receiver started with DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller given the night off, but he dropped at least one pass. Ellington finished with three receptions for 22 yards on four targets. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 2. Alfred Blue: The backup running back dropped a pass and gained jut 14 yards on eight carries for a 1.8 average per run. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 3. Dee Virgin: The reserve cornerback got beaten badly for a touchdown pass in single coverage. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 4. Justin Reid: The rookie safety started with Tyrann Mathieu being out for a precautionary measure, but didn't really capitalize on the opportunity. The third-round draft pick from Stanford stumbled to the ground while trying to make his first NFL tackle, allowing a 14-yard gain to Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle 5. Ryan Griffin: The veteran tight end needs to pick it up or he'll lose ground to rookie tight end Jordan Akins. Griffin got the start, but wasn't targeted.<doc-sep>The Chiefs first string may have not been on the field for very long, but the young talent on the roster got a healthy dose of action for the Chiefs. Some of those rookies stood out among the rest and will certainly figure into the Chiefs future plans. These are your top rookie performances from the Chiefs preseason Week 1 matchup vs. the Houston Texans. Breeland Speaks Breeland Speaks is still built a little more like a defensive lineman that he is an outside linebacker. That apparently hasn’t stopped him from making the transition from college defensive end to professional outside linebacker. While Speaks didn’t notch a sack in his first preseason action, he had several pressures and a quarterback hit. He also looked a whole lot better when it came to defending the run than say veteran outside linebacker Dee Ford. Speaks can handle setting the edge and knows how to take a good angle and wrap up if the offensive line leaves him unblocked. Speaks didn’t get an opportunity to showcase his coverage abilities in the preseason matchup against Houston, but he did have an interception off of Patrick Mahomes during training camp. If he can prove to the coaching staff that he can be an every down player for the Chiefs, Ford may be warming up the bench. Breeland Speaks | Ben Niemann | Raymond Davison | Arrion Springs | Tremon Smith | Darrel Williams | Chase Litton | Kahlil McKenzie<doc-sep>
The Kansas City Chiefs may not have excited some fans with their low scoring, but there was plenty to be excited about in their first preseason game. The Kansas City Chiefs have finally played a game in 2018 for us to talk about. While it was only a preseason game, it was great to be able to watch a new game. I finally have new film to dig through before the next game which is very exciting. The day had finally come when Patrick Mahomes got to come out onto the field as “The Guy.” Fans have been fueling up the hype train all offseason and finally got a chance to watch their new starting quarterback. Kansas City lost to Houston 17-10, although, the preseason score never matters. It’s about the players battling for positions. There are plenty of players that I want to get to this week but may have some wait till the second week with more film to comb over considering I can’t review everyone. Fans were a little disappointed that they didn’t get to see young quarterback Patrick Mahomes lead a touchdown drive, or even throw it deep, but there were plenty of things to take away from his performance. It seemed fans were very disappointed following the game and there are some reasons to be with some of the performances we saw. There is also plenty of players that played well. In this article, we are going to look at some ups and downs of the game that we will need to keep track of the rest of the preseason.