National Football League

NFL Preseason: Top moments from Chiefs vs. Cardinals, Bengals vs. WFT

Updated Aug. 20, 2021 11:39 p.m. ET

Week 2 of the NFL preseason saw two big matchups on Friday.

The Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Washington Football Team, 17-13, on the road, while the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Cardinals, 17-10, in Arizona.

Patrick Mahomes returned to action for his first significant playing time since Super Bowl LV after taking only four snaps last week, along with the rest of the Chiefs' starting offense, which played most of the first half. On the other side, Kyler Murray made his preseason debut after sitting out last week's 19-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

And hot off an impressive defensive performance last Saturday in which they held Tampa Bay to just 14 points, Cincinnati posted a similar performance against Washington but was not able to muster enough points this time around.

Here are the top moments from Friday's preseason matchups.

Kansas City Chiefs 17, Arizona Cardinals 10

Mahomes didn't waste any time getting things going by showing off his signature sidearm throw, which certainly looks regular-season ready.

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Then, the 25-year-old Mahomes showed off his fancy footwork to convert on fourth down, moving the chains to Arizona's 8-yard line. However, the Chiefs weren't able to reach the end zone after two missed opportunities by Mecole Hardman, and with 5:15 left in the first quarter, Harrison Butker made a 24-yard FG to give Kansas City an early 3-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

This second quarter was a different story for the Chiefs, who struggled to find a rhythm. First, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire's hurdle attempt fell short … very short.

Then, midway through the second on a 3rd & Goal, Mahomes' pass intended for Demarcus Robinson was intercepted by Byron Murphy Jr. in the end zone, resulting in a touchback for Arizona.

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After the turnover, Chad Henne subbed for Mahomes, and he got right to work, launching a deep pass up the middle to Hardman, good for 17 yards and a touchdown for the Chiefs.

And for the first time thus far in the game, fans saw more points than punts.

On the other side of the ball, Colt McCoy took over for Murray, and with 1:14 to play in the half, the Cardinals made a run of their own, as McCoy connected with Antoine Wesley on a deep pass – originally called an incomplete pass before the call was reversed – good for 25 yards that pushed the Cardinals into Chiefs territory.

However, Kansas City had different plans for Arizona, and with 30 seconds to spare, McCoy's pass intended for A.J. Richardson was intercepted by Juan Thornhill in the end zone, ending the drive and the first half at 10-0 heading into the break.

To start the third, Shane Buechele took the field and secured KC's second TD of the night when he found running back Jerick McKinnon on a short 5-yard pass to extend the Chiefs' lead, 17-0, midway through the third.

As the minutes ticked down in the third, Matt Prater made a FG for the Cardinals, getting Arizona on the board for the first time with two minutes to spare, making it 17-3 headed into the final frame.

In the first 30 seconds of the fourth, Buechele's deep pass intended for WR Gehrig Dieter was intercepted by Cardinals' safety Charles Washington in the end zone.

On the Cardinals' first possession of the half, Ross Travis nabbed a 20-yard pass from Chris Streveler, good for Arizona's first TD of the night and making it a one-score game at 17-10. That's where things ended.

Washington Football Team 17, Cincinnati Bengals 13

The Bengals were once again without Joe Burrow, who also sat out Cincinnati's victory over the Bucs last week, but he was all smiles from the sidelines with WFT star Chase Young.

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On the other side, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick took the field, connecting with TE Logan Thomas for a big gain less than 10 seconds into the game to set the tone early.

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With 3:35 to play in the first, Evan McPherson made a 37-yard field goal to give the Bengals the upper hand for a few minutes until WFT responded with a FG of its own, thanks to Dustin Hopkins, knotting things up heading into the second frame.

Washington started off the second quarter with a bang, literally. Safety Landon Collins came up with a huge stop against Bengals' TE Thaddeus Moss that made the crowd erupt with cheers.

Taylor Heinicke came off the bench for Fitzpatrick, connecting with Antonio Gandy-Golden on a picture-perfect, 17-yard pass, and after a near interception in the final seconds, Washington kicked another FG to go up 6-3 heading into the break.

At the beginning of the third, Bengals backup QB Brandon Allen launched one to Auden Tate, good for 18 yards and – arguably – the best reception in the preseason thus far.

Then, five plays later, Allen punched it in on a 1st & Goal at Washington's 1-yard line, putting the Bengals up 10-6 early in the frame. Washington struck back with 4:27 left in the third when Hopkins hit a 31-yarder to keep Cincinnati within arm's reach, making it a one-point game.

And Washington's defense continued to shine as Troy Apke proved when he came up with this big hit against Tate to close out the quarter.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kyle Shurmur was sacked by William Bradley-King for a loss of 6, and on the next possession, RB Jaret Patterson ran it in for a Washington TD, followed by a successful two-point conversion from Allen and Gandy-Golden to go up 17-10.

And after a promising five-minute possession, the Bengals weren't able to punch in a TD of their own, but McPherson nailed a 50-yard FG with 6:43 left in regulation, making it 17-13, and things ended there.

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