Patrick Mahomes will get a chance to start his first game in the NFL on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs have announced on Wednesday. The game against the Denver Broncos won’t have any effect on the Chiefs’ standings, so they decided to give the rookie quarterback a chance to show his skills.
“Every snap that he gets is a valuable snap for him for whenever he has that chance of getting in there [as the full-time starter],” – said Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid. “Fortunately, we’re in a situation where we can do that.“
Kansas City Chiefs are locked on the top of AFC West and will remain in the fourth position in the conference, regardless of the score of the game against the Broncos. Mahomes will step in for veteran Alex Smith, becoming the first rookie quarterback in a non-strike game to start for the franchise since 1979.
During his college football career, where he played for the Texas Tech, Patrick Mahomes II tied the NCAA record for the single-game yards passing with 734 yards in the game against Oklahoma. He also had an impressive showing on the NFL Combine, becoming one of the fastest rising prospects in the 2017 NFL draft. Chiefs took him with the 10th overall pick, making him the first QB to be drafted in the first round by the organization since 1983 when they selected Todd Blackledge. Previously, the Chiefs traded two first rounders (2017 and 2018) and a third-round pick in 2017 to the Buffalo Bills in order to move up to 10th pick and get Mahomes.
“The biggest thing for me is just to expect to go out there and win in any way possible … if that’s 300 yards [passing] or 100 yards or whatever it is,” – said Mahomes about his first NFL game. “Whatever it takes to get a win is the biggest thing.“
