Patrick Mahomes won’t be on the field when our Seahawks face the Chiefs this Friday night for their preseason finale. This marks a first for the two-time MVP, who has never before gone through a full scheduled preseason without appearing in a single game. It’s wild, right? But don’t let that fool you, the dude’s got his eyes set on Week 1.
Mahomes’ Comeback Trail: All About Week 1
Mahomes has been on the mend since tearing ligaments in his knee back in December. While that sounds brutal, he’s actually been ahead of schedule, grinding through the entire offseason program and training camp like a maniac. Skipping these preseason tune-ups was always the plan. He’s not messing around when it comes to getting ready for the real action. Mahomes made it clear himself, saying, “It’s the amount of time they’ve said from the beginning, that if I did everything the right way, I would be ready to play Week 1.” He added, “I’m someone, if you put (a target) in front of me, I want to go out and get it and maximize every single opportunity, every rep in the weight room, every hour that I can spend in the building to get my body right.” He’s a machine, clearly.
Remember 2020? The year the whole preseason got wiped out? Mahomes missed that one too. And what happened? He went out and had one of his absolute best seasons: a ridiculous 4,740 yards, 38 touchdowns, and only six picks! They went 14-2, stomped Buffalo for the AFC title, though yeah, they ultimately fell short to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. Still, that’s the kind of “missing preseason” track record he’s got. For Mahomes, every practice rep is the game. “You know, this week we’ve kind of treated it more like a game week, being able to go in that same process, have Wednesday practice and then a Thursday practice, take my notes the same and watch same film that I’ll usually watch. I think that’s kind of how I prepare,” he explained. “Get out there on the practice field and treat every rep like it’s the most important rep. I think if you can do that, you’ll be ready to go whenever you get that opportunity to go out there in the game.”
Who The Heck Are Our Hawks Facing?
So, if Mahomes isn’t playing, who is? Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed Wednesday that backup quarterback Justin Fields is also unlikely to play. And their fourth-string QB, Chris Oladokun, is stuck in concussion protocol. This means the Emerald City crowd might be seeing a whole lot of seventh-round pick Garrett Nussmeier. He’s been impressive in his extended reps in their first two preseason games, stepping up big time. Reid was full of praise, saying Nussmeier “done a nice job, thrown right in the fire with the first group. I thought he handled it well. He looked like he stepped in, took it on, good leadership, tempo in and out of the huddle. It was all positive. It’ll pay off down the road.” Reid also mentioned that while many offensive starters will get at least a few reps, it sounds like Nussmeier could be running the show for the entire game.
On top of the QB situation, the Chiefs are also dealing with some injuries at receiver. Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy have been held out of the first two preseason games. Rice had knee surgery earlier in the offseason, and Worthy has been battling a shoulder issue. Reid didn’t say if either of them would suit up against our Hawks.
The Chiefs kick off their regular season in a marquee Monday night showdown against Denver on September 14, and Mahomes fully expects to be under center then. For our Hawks, this Friday night game is still a crucial chance to tune up, even if it’s against Kansas City’s backups. It’s a final run for Mike Macdonald and Brian Fleury to get our guys ready before the real games start. Let’s see what our defense can do against a wild card QB like Nussmeier!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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