Patrick Mahomes says Chiefs are where they need to be entering season

Patrick Mahomes discussed the Kansas City Chiefs readiness for the regular season after Saturday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Fans might not feel the same way at this stage, but Patrick Mahomes says he’s feeling confident in the Kansas City Chiefs’ readiness for the regular season at every level—not just offense.

After the team’s third preseason game, a loss to the visiting San Francisco 49ers, there were a myriad of concerns on the field for the Chiefs. The cornerbacks and linebackers remain a concern. Juan Thornhill played like a rookie. Penalties at key moments killed momentum. Still Mahomes is positive about the team’s progress to date.

Mahomes spoke to reporters after the loss and was asked whether or not the Chiefs were where they needed to be.

“I think so, for sure,” said Mahomes. “We did good things on offense, good things on defense, good things on special teams.”

As the Chiefs prepare to move forward, head coach Andy Reid will undoubtedly sit down with his star quarterback to talk more about avoiding hits. Despite the incredible athleticism and awareness displayed on this positive run, Mahomes made everyone nervous at the end with his slide toward a first down.

After the game, he knew it would be a talking point.

“I scrambled around and probably left the pocket a little early,” he said. “I scrambled around and wanted to find someone to throw to and kind of saw it open up. I tried to run to get the first down and dove for it. I told Coach Reid, ‘I gotta get hit some time to get myself ready for the season.’ I took a hit. It was a nice hit. It was good to get that first hit out of the way, really, and then be able to run and make something happen.”

Moving forward, the Chiefs younger players will be fighting for a handful of roster spots in the team’s final preseason contest against the Green Bay Packers on the road. That means the attention of most starters will now turn to September 8, when the team travels to Jacksonville to open the season with a road game against the Jaguars.

“I feel like now it’s about perfecting those things as the young guys get to play this last preseason game and we kind of perfect and practice as much as we can,” said Mahomes. “Going into Jacksonville will be a tough opponent for Week 1.”