Kansas City, Mo. ? As soon as the Kansas City Chiefs took the field Thursday night, there was little doubt about coach Herm Edwards’ intentions for the evening.

Keep the starters healthy, and let the players on the roster bubble take the spotlight.

“Your goal, when you get to the preseason, is that all your starters are available to play for you,” Edwards said. “That’s very important.”

Offensive starters Larry Johnson, Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, Eddie Kennison and Casey Wiegmann didn’t even bother bringing their helmets onto the Arrowhead Stadium field.

With the offensive stars on the sideline, the reserve defense made the plays of the day in the Chiefs’ 10-9 victory against the New Orleans Saints.

After Chiefs running back McKenzi Smith’s touchdown broke a 3-all tie, the teams traded punts. New Orleans’ Lance Moore returned a punt to the Chiefs’ three-yard line, where he was tackled by punter Dustin Colquitt. The defense stuffed run attempts on first and second downs, and linebacker Kris Griffin intercepted a Todd Bouman pass on third down.

K.C.’s reserve defenders stepped up again after New Orleans running back Jamaal Branch scored a touchdown with 2:07 to play in the game. The Saints decided to go for two, and defensive end Clint Mitchell knocked down Bouman’s pass attempt at the line of scrimmage.

“You knew that Sean (Payton, Saints coach) was going to go for two points,” Edwards said. “That’s probably what you’re supposed to do in the preseason. You’re not supposed to go into overtime in the preseason.”

Kansas City Chiefs safety Sammy Knight drills New Orleans Saints wide receiver Jamal Jones during their preseason game. K.C. earned a 10-9 victory Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City’s starting offense Thursday showcased Michael Bennett, a running back whom the Chiefs acquired from the Saints on Aug. 2 to back up Johnson. He carried the ball eight times for 29 yards and caught three Damon Huard passes for 11 yards, all in the first half.

“I felt like I got into a little bit of a rhythm, and I know that the offensive line did, too,” Bennett said. “Those guys didn’t want to come out of the game.”

Huard started at quarterback and got his first extensive work of the preseason, completing 6 of 9 for 66 yards.

The Saints started their regulars and sustained their second drive, but John Carney shanked a 31-yard field goal to the left. He drilled a 46-yarder in the third quarter.

As for the Chiefs’ bubble guys, rookie receiver Jeff Webb gained 47 yards on two receptions, including a 33-yard completion on third-and-five in the second quarter that set up the Chiefs’ lone field goal.

“I saw Webb beat his man at the line of scrimmage, and he just made a great catch,” Edwards said of the play. “It’s fun to hit those big plays. It would have been nice to punch it in the end zone, though.”

Jeris McIntyre caught one pass for nine yards as he and Webb rested their cases for backup wide receiver spots.

Of Webb, Edwards added: “He’s a big fast guy who can make a lot of plays. He could be around here for a long time.”

Rookie quarterback Brodie Croyle relieved Huard after the scoring drive and completed five passes – five times as many as he completed in his debut Saturday – on nine attempts with one interception.

On a drive late in the third quarter, two potential Croyle turnovers were nullified by penalties. A fumble was overturned because New Orleans linebacker Terrence Milton hit Croyle with his helmet. An interception three plays later was called back for illegal contact.

That drive ended with the one-yard touchdown leap by Smith, who has been competing with Dee Brown, Quentin Griffin and Derrick Ross for one or two backup running back openings.

Smith skied into the end zone on the right side behind Kevin Sampson, who started at right tackle for the Chiefs for the first three preseason games. He played with the second team Thursday, while second-year player Will Svitek, a defensive tackle during his years at Stanford, started in his place. Svitek also laid a key block on the touchdown run while lined up at tight end in a goal-line formation.

“If you can keep the score really low, you’re always in the football game,” Edwards said. “You might not like those nail-biters that go down into the fourth quarter, but I’m kind of used to playing those kind.”

Reggie Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner and the second overall pick in April’s draft, carried four times for 14 yards for the New Orleans first team, splitting time with Deuce McAllister. Bush’s longest carry was six yards.

The Chiefs will open the regular season against Cincinnati on Sept. 10 at Arrowhead.