Bengals vs. Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes will play first quarter
By Matt Conner
Andy Reid detailed the quarterback situation for the Kansas City Chiefs first preseason game and Patrick Mahomes will play the first quarter.
The Kansas City Chiefs are finally playing an actual football game in a matter of days, when the Cincinnati Bengals visit Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night in the first preseason game for both AFC teams.
Andy Reid recently spoke with reporters about what to expect as he gets his team ready, and the team’s head coach laid out a very simple, straightforward plan when it came to playing time expectations for the four quarterbacks on the roster. Each signal caller will be given a full quarter of play—at least that’s how it stands at the present time.
Starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the game’s biggest star and he will be given the first quarter of play to work with against Cincy under new head coach Zac Taylor. From there, veteran backup Chad Henne will play the second quarter. Young quarterbacks Kyle Shurmur and Chase Litton will split the third and fourth quarters respectively.
The playing time arrangement is nothing new for the Chiefs. Andy Reid doesn’t like to typically play his starters in the opening game. There’s no reason to push anyone too hard who is already a known quantity, especially with the risk of injury is so high on the field before the season. No one wants to lose anyone to injury, let alone the reigning Most Valuable Player award winner.
While it will be exciting to see Mahomes and the first team offense at work, the most important part of this preseason game in terms of quarterbacks will be about the fight between Litton and Shurmur. Litton was a rookie free agent from Marshall in 2018 and Shurmur from Vanderbilt in 2019.
Next. Bengals vs. Chiefs: Preseason scouting report. dark
Both players are hoping to be the Chiefs developmental quarterback for the next year and given that Henne is on a short contract, it could be a headstart for the team’s backup role next year. The Chiefs are likely to bring in further considerations there, but it would go a long way for either player to seize that QB3 role if Reid makes one available.