Since coming into the league, no quarterback has been as successful as Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs. Scratch that, no quarterback in history has been as successful as Mahomes over the first seven years of their career. But this is the first time that Mahomes is entering the season after being utterly dominated in a game.
Against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59, Mahomes had no answers for a stifling Philly defense, as they shut him out for the first half, and the scoreboard read 34-6 at one point in the game. Thanks to that brutal loss, is head coach Andy Reid changing his strategy about his preseason playing time this time around?
Will Patrick Mahomes Start Against the Arizona Cardinals?
Over the last three years, Mahomes has won an MVP, been to three-straight Super Bowls, won two of them, and earned Super Bowl MVP in each of his wins. However, it has also been some of the statistically worst years of his career.
Barring the 2022 season, the Kansas City offense has been a shell of itself. Some of that was on personnel, but some of the blame also fell on Mahomes, who has, at times, struggled on the field.
Coming off arguably the worst loss of his career, some reps in the preseason might be a good idea for the Chiefs’ superstar. Thankfully, Reid isn’t looking to change his strategy from years past.
A firm believer in giving his starters playing time during the preseason, the four-time Super Bowl champion is sticking to his mantra this time around as well. When Kansas City opens its slate against the Arizona Cardinals, the plan is for them to open with their starters, featuring Mahomes as the signal-caller.
The exact duration for which the starting group will remain in the game is unclear. However, Mahomes has one wish from his limited playing time: to get hit at least once. “There’s always a little shock,” he revealed, stating that the first hit helped him get into the right mindset for the rest of the preseason and the incoming regular season.
The #Chiefs 1st UNOFFICIAL Depth Chart of the preseason. #ChiefsKingdom @KSHB41 @41IsTheMic pic.twitter.com/s7MdXQtuYM
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) August 4, 2025
The plan, as it currently stands, is for Kansas City to feature all four of its quarterbacks for one quarter. With Mahomes starting, the likely idea is for him to play the first quarter only, before sitting down for the rest of the game.
As he looks to start another climb back to the mountaintop, Arizona is just the first step in the journey. However, as Reid and Mahomes continue to show year after year, it is a very important foundation for the season.
