The Kansas City Chiefs are looking forward to a fresh season in which they can attempt to regain their past success behind two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes.
He saw his season end in Week 15 when he suffered a torn ACL in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, with the Chiefs later missing the postseason for the first time in 12 years.
Mahomes underwent surgery to repair his ACL and LCL, followed by the grueling rehabilitation process this past offseason.
He seems on track to be the starting quarterback when the Chiefs open their season in September, and his Pro Bowl teammate, Trey Smith, revealed his and other teammates’ responsibilities to help the superstar.
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Smith recently spoke with the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Judy Battista on “The Insiders” about the pressure on him and the other offensive linemen to protect Mahomes.
“As an offensive lineman, you always feel the responsibility to keep your quarterback calm, protected, and allowing him to operate. You have the best quarterback in the game right now, so you want to just give him any opportunity to do what he does best,” Smith said.
“At the end of the day, I think the pressure is on us just as a team, and individually, you know what we can do to get better every single day,” he said. “At the end of the day, Patrick Mahomes is the best competitor I’ve ever been around.”
He said that as their year progresses, their main goal is to “keep Pat healthy” and on the field so they can avoid a repeat of last season and win games with Mahomes.
According to recent FTN Fantasy football rankings, the Chiefs’ offensive line ranked 20th in the league, with Josh Simmons considered a strong pass protector and the majority of their line called “unremarkable” last season. The report also called them “middle of the pack” in protecting Mahomes.
That’s something they’ll certainly need to work on for this coming season, as the AFC will be just as competitive, with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals expected to make noise, along with the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and New England Patriots.
Kansas City opens its season with a “Monday Night Football” game against the Broncos on Sept. 14, with a fully recovered Mahomes expected to be the team’s starting QB.
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