The Kansas City Chiefs lost running back Spencer Ware in the first quarter of Friday night’s 26-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks with a knee injury.

Ware caught a short pass and, after being tackled, immediately grabbed his knee. Ware was taken from the field in a cart and did not return.

QB depth chart: Alex Smith played the first half, but neither he nor his receivers handled the consistent pressure brought by the Seahawks well. Smith missed open receivers on a couple of plays and had a handful of his passes dropped. The result was an ugly stat line: 7-of-17 for 44 yards. Rookie Patrick Mahomes II failed to lead the Chiefs to a touchdown on any of his four possessions at the helm. Mahomes got the Chiefs as far as the Seahawks' 2 once, but they had to settle for a field goal after Mahomes dropped a shotgun snap on third down.

When it was starters vs. starters, the Chiefs looked ...: Like they needed more time to get ready for the regular season. The Chiefs were sloppy on both sides of the ball. On defense, the starters allowed a touchdown for the first time in the preseason, and Kansas City greatly aided Seattle’s cause by committing four penalties on the scoring drive.

One reason to be concerned: The Chiefs have some depth at running back with rookie Kareem Hunt and veterans Charcandrick West and C.J. Spiller, but they have nobody quite like the 229-pound Ware, their biggest and most physical runner. Ware also has developed into a reliable pass-catcher.

That guy could start: Hunt will become the regular featured back. Hunt has proved to be a tough, physical runner who is difficult to tackle. He has been even more impressive in the passing game, where he has displayed the ability to beat coverage down the field and make the difficult catch.

Rookie watch: Wide receiver Marcus Kemp, an undrafted free agent, is making a push for a roster spot. The Chiefs played him on special teams, and in the first half Kemp responded with a big play. On a kickoff return, he put a big hit on Seattle’s J.D. McKissic that brought down the Seahawks’ return specialist at the 9-yard line. Kemp blocked a punt in the second half.

Another happy return: Chiefs fans feeling anxious about losing Tyreek Hill as the kickoff-return specialist had reason to rest easy in the second quarter, when replacement De'Anthony Thomas returned one 95 yards for a touchdown. Hill was removed from kickoff-return duty because he’s playing more on offense.