Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offensive starters have several goals for their preseason opener at Arizona on Saturday night. Stay healthy, further develop chemistry and timing with receivers and … cross the 50-yard line.
In their last organized football game, a humbling 40-22 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl 59, the Chiefs didn’t snap the ball in opponent territory over the first 43 minutes, covering nine painful drives.
Not until Mahomes completed a 50-yard pass to Xavier Worthy with two minutes remaining in the third quarter did the Chiefs cross midfield. The score was 34-0.
“When you make it that far and then you’re at the end, it just hurts,” Mahomes told USA Today insider Jarrett Bell earlier in the week. “You put so much hard work into it. So, losing on that final step is always hard. But it’s how you respond. I thought we responded well after that last Super Bowl loss, just kind of building back and getting even better and winning a couple more championships.
“So, now it’s about, ‘Where are we going to go now? Are we going to get even better from that loss? Are we going to find ways to make everyone better, not just one person?’ I feel like we’ve done that in camp. But you can’t prove it until you go out there and do it.”
First trip to State Farm Stadium since Super Bowl 57 victory
Doing it starts with crossing midfield on Saturday at State Farm Stadium, the Chiefs’ first game in Arizona since beating the Eagles in Super Bowl 57 on Feb. 12, 2023.
And right out of the preseason gates, moving the ball will be a challenge because Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said he’s changed his philosophy and also will play his starters on Saturday night (7 p.m. CT, KSHB 41, 96.5 The Fan).
Familiar foe
One of those starters is Josh Sweat, the edge rusher who sacked Mahomes 2½ times in February’s Super Bowl blowout. Without a blitz, Philadelphia posted six sacks, more than any game in Mahomes’ career.
The quarterback said this week he’s not looking for any more in the preseason opener.
“I don’t necessarily look forward to getting hit,” Mahomes said Thursday, smiling.
Sweat, who signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract this offseason to join the Cardinals, figures to line up opposite left tackle Josh Simmons for at least the first quarter. The rookie first-round selection has been entrenched as Kansas City’s starter since the first snap of training camp.
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