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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Kansas City Chiefs will play their first preseason game Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams at Arrowhead Stadium.
One of the biggest questions heading into the matchup has been the status of Patrick Mahomes, who has been a full participant in practice throughout training camp after tearing his ACL and LCL at the end of the 2025 NFL season.
Unfortunately, Chiefs fans will have to wait a little longer to see their franchise quarterback back in action. Head coach Andy Reid revealed Thursday that Mahomes won't play, with game reps instead split among backups Justin Fields, Chris Oladokun, and seventh-round rookie Garrett Nussmeier.
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Mahomes avoided the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list from the start, and both coaches and teammates have been raving about his recovery all summer. He hasn't shown any limitations, and all signs point to him being ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season. So this is likely nothing more than a precautionary move, especially with it being just the first preseason game.
After Saturday, the Chiefs will travel to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers before closing out the preseason against the Seattle Seahawks back in Kansas City — two more opportunities to ease Mahomes back into live game action.
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In the meantime, this is a great opportunity for the backups to get reps in a competitive environment under Eric Bieniemy's new system. Fields will operate as Mahomes' primary backup, but the No. 3 spot is up for grabs between Oladokun and Nussmeier. Many expect the Chiefs to enter the season with just three quarterbacks, meaning one of the three will likely be cut in the coming weeks.
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