(TSX / STATS) — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — First-round draft pick Patrick Mahomes makes his first NFL start for the Kansas City Chiefs in a preseason game on Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans.
Head coach Andy Reid wants to see how his young quarterback handles the scenario.
“It’s another step forward and opportunity to see how he handles it and to continue to grow,” Reid said. “It’s a win-win from his standpoint. A chance to get in a game as a starter and put that one under your belt that you’ve done it. “
Mahomes and the second-team offense will start the game and play the first half. Tyler Bray and Joel Stave plan to play the third and fourth quarters respectively.
The No. 10 overall pick from this year’s draft says his first start will be special to him.
“It’s a preseason game but we’ll all be treating it like it’s a real one,” Mahomes said. “It’ll still be an opportunity for a lot of guys to get some reps and they’re going to be going out there and going hard every single play.”
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said he wants to see Mahomes show what he learned in his previous preseason outings, particularly with his pocket presence.
“He understands he needs to push up in the pocket and stay in the pocket, if he can, and go through his progression,” Nagy said. “Right now, his understanding is good. He is a smart football player and he gets it.”
Critics of Mahomes frequently cite his footwork as an area of improvement. Nagy often works with the rookie quarterback on his dropbacks as well as his positioning on handoffs and play action.
Nagy believe Mahomes made great strides in that area.
“That is a credit to him because he cares,” Nagy said. “He is very coach-able. We give him things that he can try and test out. We don’t say this is the way you have to do it, try it out and see if you like it.”
Mahomes believe he’s progressed significantly through offseason workouts, training camp and the preseason.
“I feel like I’ve gotten better every single time I’ve been out there,” Mahomes said, “and that’s just learning the playbook more and more, trying to get the protections right and do everything right. That’s just something that will keep being a process.”
Thursday’s game likely marks the end of significant playing time for Mahomes this season, barring a disaster with starter Alex Smith.
But Mahomes believes he’s picked up enough during preseason to prepare him for a season as the backup quarterback.
“Going on scout team and throwing against our defense, which is one of the best in the league, is going to help a ton,” Mahomes said. “Just keep adding on every single day in whatever way that I can.”
–A likely season-ending injury for running back Spencer Ware means rookie Kareem Hunt stands next in line for the Chiefs in the backfield.
“We got a challenge and we all just want to help out and don’t want to miss a step, miss a beat off this,” Hunt said. “We’ve just got to come prepared and ready to work every day.”
This isn’t the first time an injury propelled an inexperienced Hunt into a starting role. During his freshman year at Toledo in 2013, starting running back David Fluellen suffered an ankle injury in mid-October. The senior back tallied 1,121 yards in the injury-shortened season with a gaudy 6.7 yards per carry.
The Rockets offense, however, did not skip a beat with Hunt in the backfield. The true freshman topped the 100-yard mark five times in the team’s last six games of the season. He rushed for 866 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
Now Hunt must help carry the load for the Chiefs in his rookie season.
“It’s not the way I wanted it to happen, but now it’s my time to step up and fill some big shoes,” Hunt said.
Head coach Andy Reid showed no worries in leaning on a rookie for a team with championship ambitions.
“I’ve had some rookies that have played for me,” Reid said. “As long as they come in and learn. He did that. He’s handled himself the right way. We feel like he can handle it.”
Quarterback Alex Smith agreed.
“I think everybody is confident with him back there,” Smith said.
Hunt has two experienced running backs behind him on the depth chart, C.J. Spiller and Charcandrick West. Spiller says he’s impressed by the rookie back, and believes he can help Hunt navigate his way through his rookie season.
“He’s going to continue to learn, figure stuff out,” Spiller said. “I’m going to share a ton of my knowledge that I have with him to help him enhance his game.”
Photo credit – Andy Lyons / Getty Images / Cincinnati, OH
