The Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their preseason with a 26-13 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night. Although Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce played sparingly, the game still provided several interesting storylines, including the return of punter Matt Araiza.

The Chiefs’ wide receiver room is another area to keep an eye on, as Mahomes continues to search for a reliable option opposite Kelce. Here are five key takeaways from the game.

Patrick Mahomes played sparingly for the Chiefs as they began their preseason on Saturday

Matt Araiza could be the answer to the Chiefs’ punting woes

Araiza made his NFL debut on Saturday, two years after being accused of rape (although he was never charged) and subsequently being cut by the Bills, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2022 Draft. He has since been cleared of any wrongdoing and is grateful to be back in the NFL.

Matt Araiza, seen at practice last week, made his NFL debut on Saturday for the Chiefs

In his first NFL appearance, Araiza hit three punts and dropped two of them inside the opponents’ 20-yard-line. For context, the Chiefs’ previous punter Tommy Townsend achieved just 20 such punts all of last season, ranking 24th at his position.

The search for Tyreek Hill continues

While Travis Kelce remains Patrick Mahomes’ favorite target, the Chiefs are still searching for a reliable foil to the tight end after the speedy Hill was traded to the Dolphins two years ago.

Rashee Rice had a strong rookie season, but could miss time this season after offseason legal troubles, while free agent signing Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown injured his shoulder after a first-quarter catch against Jacksonville.

Perhaps Hill’s heir apparent is 2024 first-round pick Xavier Worthy, but the former Texas standout had a quiet night as he didn’t register a single catch.

Xavier Worthy had a quiet night for the Chiefs as he failed to catch a single pass

It will be interesting to see who develops into a trusted second option for Mahomes, or if he can find that sort of consistent weapon opposite Kelce at all.

Chiefs in decent hands if Patrick Mahomes goes down

Of course, if Mahomes were to suffer a significant injury, it would likely be disastrous to the Kansas City’s title hopes.

But if the quarterback, who has battled ankle problems in recent seasons, is forced to miss the odd game or two, there are worse backup options than Carson Wentz, who joined the team this offseason.

He showed a bit of his talent on Saturday as he went 4-of-4 on passing attempts for 26 yards, though he also fumbled before recovering it.

Carson Wentz could be an effective option for the Chiefs if Mahomes is forced to miss time

As a starter, Wentz had some great – and not so great – moments over five years with the Eagles before impressing in Indianapolis and flaming out of Washington.

But you have to think that under the leadership of Andy Reid, he could muster up some decent play and keep the ball moving if needed.

Louis Rees-Zammitt faces a real fight to make the roster

Rees-Zammit was a star in the rugby world but is fighting just to stick in the NFL after switching over to football.

The Welshman, who has been listed as a running back, received just two touches on offense: a carry that went for one yard, and a three-yard reception.

Louis Rees-Zammit had two touches on offense and was accused by some fans of looking slow

He also fielded one kickoff for a touchback, and made a special teams tackle as well.

But for a player who received $250,000 in guarantees, he definitely still has some learning to do – some fans on social media said he looked ‘slow’ on the field – and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him moved to the practice squad or cut altogether.

New kickoff rules on full display

The NFL changed its kickoff rules ahead of this season to ‘promote more returns,’ as the league website says, and that was on display on Saturday.

While the ball is still kicked from a team’s own 35-yard-line, the 10 kicking team players cannot move until the ball hits the ground, or a player, or the end zone.

And that added space and time was exploited by the Jags as Parker Washington broke off a 73-yard kickoff return.

His teammate Tank Bigsby also ran for 43 yards on a kickoff, while the Chiefs had returns of 32 and 31 yards as well.