Chiefs will play all their starters vs. the Lions in their preseason matchup

Let this serve as a warning: if you’re a Detroit Lions fan who cannot handle seeing the team lose, not even in the preseason, you should probably avoid watching even one play of Saturday afternoon’s exhibition matchup with the Chiefs in Kansas City. It’s almost certain to not end well on the scoreboard for the Lions.

As is his custom, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid will play all of his starters for at least some of the second preseason game. That includes perennial MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes, All-Pro DT Chris Jones and more. Reid indicated in Kansas City’s final practice that the first-team will play at least the first half of the game.

“As far as the play time goes, the ones will take a half,” Reid said this week. “Then we’ll kind of fill in after that and just kind of see how the rest of that goes for the third and fourth quarters.”

The Lions, of course, will not play anyone of consequence. Last week, Detroit had 31 players sit out the preseason opener against the New York Giants, a game the Lions lost 14-3.

Campbell did crack the door open for some starters along the defensive line and linebacking corps to see a series or two, but nearly all of the first half will feature the starters from the reigning Super Bowl champions playing the Lions’ second-team offense and defense.