The Kansas City Chiefs have already shut down the debut of Patrick Mahomes as starter and the waters were choppier than expected.
Each quarterback is scheduled to play a full quarter for the Kansas City Chiefs in their preseason home opener against the Houston Texans, which means that Patrick Mahomes’s night is already over unless head coach Andy Reid alters his pre-game plan.
Mahomes only appeared on two drives and both of them stalled far short of anything exciting for the Chiefs, unfortunately for the fans in attendance who paid to see their exciting new starter in his first official action since being christened as the starter. The Chiefs offense largely sat on the sidelines during Mahomes’s given quarter while Brandon Weeden led the Texans on a long 68-yard touchdown drive that lasted 12 plays.
Mahomes finished the night with only 33 passing yards on 5 of 7 completions, although flashes of nice chemistry with tight end Travis Kelce were there for Mahomes early. He hit Kelce twice for 22 yards. Unfortunately, Mahomes was also under considerable pressure on several plays. He was sacked once officially by Angelo Blackson, a rotational lineman for the Texans, but defenders were constantly getting in his face as the Chiefs offensive line failed to provide adequate time for many plays to unfold as scripted.
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The rest of the night should belong to Chad Henne, Matt McGloin and Chase Litton for the next three quarters on offense. For the latter two, it will be interesting to see how well they carry themselves in the third and fourth quarters and compete for that final QB3 spot after Mahomes and Henne on the depth chart.
For those worried about Mahomes and how the offense looked in general, there’s a reason that these preseason games count for very little. Players are getting a feel for each other and getting back into game shape. Eric Bieniemy is learning how to settle into the offensive coordinator role, and Andy Reid isn’t going to give anything away in Week 1 of the preseason. This game is about evaluation and beginning to get players ready for the rigors of the regular season. Would it be nice to see Mahomes light up the scoreboard? Absolutely, especially for the home crowd. But in a few short days, this game will be entirely forgotten.
Mahomes will have plenty of time in the next two preseason games in particular to get himself ready for the regular season before largely sitting in the final week to allow the Chiefs to make their final roster decisions in Week 4.