Patrick Mahomes: Time for Chiefs to ‘Show Who We Are'
The Kansas City Chiefs' tumultuous offseason is now in the rearview mirror, as 2022 training camp and the preseason are over. Now that the regular season is merely days away from arriving for the Chiefs, things are beginning to get real.
During the offseason, general manager Brett Veach swapped out star wide receiver Tyreek Hill for draft compensation and opted to let veterans Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle depart via free agency. In their places, the forward-thinking executive brought in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling on free agent deals to insulate a group that also includes new additions Justin Watson (free agency) and rookie Skyy Moore (draft). With Mecole Hardman being the player most experienced in the Chiefs' offense, things are going to look different this year.
That presents both a challenge and opportunity for Kansas City. In January's AFC Championship Game loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, quarterback Patrick Mahomes had arguably the worst half of football of his life. His struggles to locate and target receivers other than Hill and tight end Travis Kelce were put on full display, but he now has a roster five or even six-deep with viable weapons to throw to. After an offseason filled with trials and tribulations, Mahomes is ready to get everyone on the field for a real game.
"Super excited," Mahomes said about kicking off the regular season this week. "The biggest thing, I think, is just getting those guys out there. We've put in the practice now, we've put in the work. One more week of game planning and getting ready for the Cardinals — a great football team — but I'm excited to see these guys in game action. Preseason is one thing but when it gets to the regular season, it gets real, I'm excited to get these guys out there and see what we've got."
In years past, there's been a target of sorts on the Chiefs' backs due to them being the near-consensus best team in the NFL. That's no longer the case, as the playing field has been leveled at least a bit due to the power dynamic in the AFC seeing a shift. Teams such as the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and even fellow AFC West rivals in the Los Angeles Chargers are garnering serious buzz and have done so for months. When asked about whether that adds any fuel to the fire for Mahomes and company, though, the superstar quarterback said he and his teammates should always be motivated.
"I think you should be motivated every year," Mahomes said. "In this league, everybody starts at zero. Everybody is 0-0, everybody has a chance to win the Super Bowl. If you don't have the motivation every single year to win the AFC West, win the AFC and win the Super Bowl, then you're in the wrong profession. I think we have the guys in here that are excited about the chance to go out there and win every single week. It all starts off this Week 1 against a great football team in the Arizona Cardinals. We're excited to get out there and kind of show what we've been putting together and show who we are."
Even with the potential loss of the heralded fear factor or a slightly lower rung on the proverbial NFL ladder to start the 2022 campaign, Kansas City will still be a good team this season. Making the playoffs isn't a lock, yet it's still a firm expectation from players, coaches, media and fans alike. This isn't going to be the same old team, but it could mark the beginning of a new era of Chiefs football — one that features a blend of young and old talent and numerous skill sets clashing to form an explosive unit on either side of the ball.
Acquiring those diverse pieces and introducing them to each other during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) was the beginning of that process. The preseason marked the continuation of it, and the regular season is set to be the springboard for the Chiefs' next major leap. According to Mahomes, everything from this point backward was practice and preparation. Now, it's time for Kansas City's newcomers and veterans alike to show the football world what they're made of.
"You see those guys who really want to compete, that's the biggest thing," Mahomes said. "You see what a guy really has underneath because when you're in the preseason or when you're in training camp, you're grinding and doing different stuff and going through adversity but at the same time, you kind of know that it's not real. When it becomes real, you see what a guy truly has underneath. I think we have the guys that have it and go out there and find ways to win at the end of the day."
