KANSAS CITY, Mo. >> Patrick Mahomes II got his first NFL start on Thursday night.

The Kansas City Chiefs hope it’s his last for a while.

The Chiefs’ first-round pick threw for 183 yards and a touchdown in his preseason finale, helping them to a 30-6 rout of the Tennessee Titans in a game that was played primarily by backups on both sides.

Mahomes got the nod with Alex Smith and the rest of the starters sitting out, and he once more showed why the Chiefs moved up to draft him 10th overall in April. The former Texas Tech standout scrambled to keep plays alive, stood tall in the pocket and used his big arm to make plays downfield.

“This was a good experience for him,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I thought he handled the last few days well. He knew he was going to start. But now he has to carry that into being a backup.”

Titans coach Mike Mularkey said early in the week that “all 90” would play in the preseason finale, as if an uneven performance last week against Chicago meant his starters would get at least some work.

But after the Chiefs kicked off, it was former quarterback Matt Cassel rather than Hawaii-born Marcus Mariota who led the Titans onto the field.

Mahomes’ favorite target was second-year pro Demarcus Robinson, who may have locked up the Chiefs’ final wide receiver job. He had three catches for 127 yards, including a 28-yard TD strike just before halftime.

Hawaii alum Marcus Kemp had a team-high five catches for 55 yards for the Chiefs.

“I feel like I’ve gotten better every single day, and that’s been the plan all along,” said Mahomes, who beat out Tyler Bray for the No. 2 job. “I mean, it’s a process, but you want to make sure you come in every single practice, every single game and improve.”

Rookie wide receiver Jehu Chesson also solidified his roster spot with a weaving, dodging 76-yard punt return touchdown for Kansas City. Backup tight end Gavin Escobar may have done likewise when he hauled in a juggling touchdown catch from Bray late in the third quarter.