First-round pick Ty Simpson throws 2 TD passes, rallies Rams past Chiefs 20-12 in preseason debut

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — There were a whole bunch of raised eyebrows when the Los Angeles Rams drafted Ty Simpson in the first round in April.

Maybe there shouldn't have been.

The surprising pick of the Super Bowl contenders shined in his preseason debut against Kansas City on Saturday, going 21 of 25 for 190 yards with a pair of touchdown passes to Dean Connors. And while most of the work came against third- and fourth-stringers, the former Alabama standout showed plenty of poise in rallying the Rams to victory.

“I definitely felt more comfortable than I ever had coming into a game, but I also didn't know what to expect,” said Simpson, the second QB taken in the draft. “The guys did a great job. So happy for our team. And on to next week.”

Stetson Bennett is expected to back up Rams starter Matthew Stafford. He was 4 of 6 for 36 yards in his lone quarter.

Then it was Simpson's chance. He played more than two quarters in an extended first taste of the NFL.

“I thought he took what the defense gave him. I thought he read the plays out, read with his feet. I thought he did a really good job overall,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “I thought he kept the ball in play. That's the biggest thing, keeping the ball in play.”

Justin Fields completed all four of his passes in his first quarter as the backup to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whose only time on the field Saturday was for the coin toss. Fields was signed in part because Kansas City was uncertain whether the two-time MVP will be ready for Week 1 after knee surgery, but Mahomes has been ahead of schedule throughout his rehab.

Seventh-round pick Garrett Nussmeier played most of the way for Kansas City, going 13 of 19 for 98 yards, while fifth-round draft pick Emmett Johnson ran 12 times for 59 yards and was perhaps the biggest bright spot for the Chiefs offense.

“A lot of learning lessons,” Johnson said. “A lot of things to get better from.”

There were some intriguing — or at least, funny — moments in a game played almost entirely by backups.

Take the Chiefs' three-time All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who said quite pointedly earlier this week: “I don't want to play in the preseason.” Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo responded by making him play a single snap: the first.

McVay had no interest in playing his starters even that much. His initial group on defense was made up not of first- or second-teamers but third-teamers trying to play their way onto the roster, and the same went for the high-powered Los Angeles offense.

As for Chiefs coach Andy Reid, he at least took the game seriously enough to challenge an incompletion call. Reid won, too, when the replay showed that tight end Jared Wiley had made a spectacular toe-tapping grab along Rams sideline.

One thing sure to irk Big Red: penalties. The Chiefs were flagged 12 times for 83 yards, the biggest culprit being the backup offensive line. That scuttled a few promising drives that Nussmeier and Co. were able to put together.

It also left the Chiefs fearful of their return to practice Monday, and the wrath of demanding offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

“It's going to be hell, for sure,” Chiefs running back Brashard Smith said. “We have to clean those up.”

The Chiefs' home was back to its usual configuration after lower rows on the visiting side and an upper section of seats on the home side were removed for the World Cup. The stadium hosted six matches over the summer, including a quarterfinal.

The stadium also returned to its old name — Arrowhead Stadium — after it had been known as GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Rams offensive tackle Keagen Trost, their third-round pick out of nearby Missouri, hurt his hamstring in the first quarter. He's listed as the backup to right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. on the two-deep, but started against the Chiefs.

Rams: Host New Orleans next Saturday.

Chiefs: Visit Tampa Bay next Saturday night.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Kansas City Chiefs running back Emmett Johnson runs against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Kansas City, MO. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watches during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Kansas City, MO. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams is tackled by the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Kansas City, MO. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Ty Simpson passes against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Kansas City, MO. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Justin Fields plays against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Kansas City, MO. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Hawaii’s Big Island was threatened Saturday with its first possible direct hit from a hurricane in 155 years as Hurricane Lala roared in the Pacific Ocean and gusty wind, waves and rain pounded the region.

The National Hurricane Center said Lala’s maximum sustained winds increased to 75 mph (120 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane. The storm's center was forecast to move over or near the island’s southern end by the evening, lashing its worst winds at volcanic slopes thousands of feet above sea level.

Whitecap surf slammed ashore nonstop, howling winds whipped the tops of palm trees, and waterways swelled with fast-moving runoff from relentless rain that blew nearly sideways.

Gov. Josh Green, noting rainfall of 2 inches (5 centimeters) an hour, said “people should be sheltering in place now.”

Forecasters said higher elevations on the island, dominated by the towering Mauna Kea volcano, could get as much as 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) of rain. That could cause life-threatening mudslides in a mountainous area where people live off the grid in improvised housing.

Earlier the governor called it an “enormous storm,” capable of destructive flooding and even the possibility of wildfires kicked up by strong winds across the island chain. Electricity was knocked out for 32% of customers on the Big Island, according to poweroutage.us.

The island, population 210,000, is Hawaii's largest.

Bobby Camara, a 75-year-old lifelong resident, said he planned to “hunker down, cross my fingers, hope the lights don’t go out” at a care home just outside Hilo. He said gas stations were busy as people sought fuel for chain saws and vehicles.

“I think stocking up is part of life over here. ... You learn to be self-reliant,” Camara said.

Mike Caputo, who lives in Keaau, near the Big Island's east coast, said his power generator was ready and a 10,000-gallon (37.8 kiloliter) home water tank was full. He said the main concern was flash flooding and fallen trees, especially albizia, a common tree.

“They’re not very sturdy, but they grow extremely large,” said Caputo, 50, a local fire captain. “They can make roads impassable."

The Big Island was under a hurricane warning, and tropical storm warnings were issued for the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau.

A Category 3 hurricane hit the northeast corner of the Big Island in 1871, according to research by a University of Hawaii atmospheric scientist. The latest forecast has Lala striking “very close to the southern tip of the Big Island,” said Vanessa Almanza, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Honolulu.

Shelters were opened, events were canceled and ranchers were urged to leave their cattle in pastures, rather than structures that might collapse. “It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction,” Almanza said.

Indeed, Christine Matsuda, who lives in Waimea, on the northern side of the island, said “big gusts every few minutes rattle the whole house.”

“We're finding unexpected leaks in places that don't see water under normal conditions,” Matsuda said.

The hurricane center predicted 8 to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 centimeters) of total rainfall across Maui and the lower elevations of the Big Island, and 4 to 6 inches (10.2 to 15.2 centimeters) across the island chain. Many Hawaii residents are still dealing with the aftermath of devastating floods in March.

As winds ramped up across the islands, Almanza said dry and breezy conditions outside the storm would elevate fire concerns.

In 2023 the Maui town of Lahaina burned during extreme winds as a hurricane passed far to the south.

“Since the fire, everybody is way more aware of weather in general and our environment and things that are happening,” said Archie Kalepa of Lahaina, who is known in the area for his surfing, paddling and other ocean skills.

Kauai, which is several islands northwest up the archipelago from the Big Island, is where Hurricane Iniki made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in 1992 — an El Nino year like this one, when a warming of the Pacific near the equator increases Pacific hurricane activity and affects weather patterns across the globe.

“It did $3 billion worth of damage. It destroyed thousands of homes, and it did kill six people,” said Steven Businger, a University of Hawaii scientist. “We just can never know if a storm is going to turn.”

Associated Press writer Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu contributed.

People walk along a path at Waikoloa Beach Resort as Tropical Storm Lala strengthened on the Big Island of Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Sandbags are seen at a Hawaii County Department of Public Works sand pile ahead of Tropical Storm Lala in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. The tropical storm is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches Hawaii, with up to 25 inches of rain possible on the island of Hawaii, also commonly known as the Big Island. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Casey Delaries makes a sandbag in preparation for Tropical Storm Lala in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. The tropical storm is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches Hawaii, with up to 25 inches of rain possible on the island of Hawaii, also commonly known as the Big Island. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Shaheer Faltas, left, and his father-in-law, Joe Brosnan, fill sandbags in preparation for the arrival of Tropical Storm Lala in Captain Cook, Hawaii, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

This satellite image released by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Lala over the Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (NOAA via AP)