Locked on Chiefs: Welcome back to football at Arrowhead

The Chiefs take on the 49ers on Friday night in a game that matters more to the bubble players than the starters.

The Kansas City Chiefs start their preseason under the Friday night lights of Arrowhead Stadium. The fans will be rowdy mainly because they have a young gunslinger of a quarterback on the roster for the first time in a long time. Patrick Mahomes is certainly going to have all eyes on him when he goes into the game to start the second half. While Mahomes is certain to be a backup this season barring injury for KC, his other first round QB counterparts are making their cases to play. This isn’t to say that Mahomes won’t play well, but this is Alex Smith’s team. Houston and Chicago, two other teams with first round rookie quarterbacks, don’t have a top-half-of-the-league starter.

The rookies are going to get a lot of playing time on Friday. Some rookies will take advantage while others will likely seal their fate. It’s the cruel reality of the preseason. There will be other opportunities for players to shine but making the wrong statement in the first game can set you back considerably. Taking a leap ahead after game number will improve your odds even if they were slim to start with.

"Like what you hear from the Locked on Chiefs podcast? Get it direct.Subscribe on iTunes, on AudioBoom, Spotify or listen on IHeartRadio!"

There are too many players I’m excited to watch come tonight. Mahomes is way up there but he isn’t even the rookie I’m most intrigued with. Running back Kareem Hunt has looked fantastic at camp. It’s time to see it in the game. There are many more players I will be watching snaps of multiple times but when everything is said and done I’m most excited about one thing. FOOTBALL IS BACK!

Thanks Addicts!