Arrowheadlines: Patrick Mahomes would like to represent Team USA at the 2028 Olympics

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Patrick Mahomes wants to play flag football at 2028 Summer Olympics: ‘Don’t tell Coach Reid’ | The Athletic

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the latest NFL star to express interest in participating in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics, telling reporters Friday in Frankfurt, Germany, that he “definitely” wants to play. Here’s what you need to know:

Mahomes, who will be 32 by the time the sport is featured in the Olympics, said he wants to play but understands flag football requires quarterbacks to be highly mobile. “I’ve seen some of those guys play the flag football,” Mahomes said, per the Associated Press. “They’re a little faster than I am. I know there’s not like linemen blocking for you. … So if I can still move around then, I’m going to try to get out there and throw the football around maybe in L.A.

About his comments, the quarterback jokingly told reporters, “Don’t tell Coach (Andy) Reid or (general manager Brett) Veach.”

NFL defenses that CAN win a championship; plus, the early Coach of the Year and A.J. Brown’s domination | NFL.com

3 - Kansas City Chiefs

It’s odd seeing the Chiefs winning low-scoring affairs with Patrick Mahomes at the helm, but the football world should expect to see more hard-hitting contests in Arrowhead Stadium with the Chris Jones-led defense setting the tone. The All-Pro defensive tackle headlines a fierce unit loaded with young, hungry defenders fresh off a Super Bowl win. The youthful exuberance has added a swagger to a defense that’s long been overshadowed by Andy Reid’s offense.

As the 2022 draft class continues to impose its will on opponents — with George Karlaftis, Leo Chenal, Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook and Joshua Williams taking turns producing splash plays all over the field — the Chiefs are quietly transforming into a defense-led squad that’s thriving with a complementary-football approach to winning games.

NFL Week 9 picks, schedule, odds, injuries, fantasy tips | ESPN

Bold prediction: The Dolphins will force quarterback Patrick Mahomes to do something he has done only twice in his career — throw multiple interceptions in consecutive games. Mahomes has thrown eight interceptions this season. After going three straight weeks without forcing a turnover, Miami’s defense has takeaways in back-to-back games. With the Jalen Ramsey-Xavien Howard defensive back tandem active Sunday, the Dolphins will keep that streak alive against the Chiefs. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Stat to know: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has 17 straight games with a passing touchdown, the longest active streak in the NFL and the fourth longest in Dolphins history (Dan Marino has the three of their longest streaks, with a high of 30 straight).

Matchup X factor: Chiefs DT Chris Jones. There’s a matchup advantage here for Jones rushing from edge alignments against Dolphins right tackle Austin Jackson. Jones has a pass rush win rate of 26.2% when rushing off the edge this season. — Bowen

Ranking NFL teams currently in the playoff picture: Eagles, Chiefs still looking super, don’t give up on 49ers | CBS Sports

2. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2, 1st in AFC West)

I pay no attention to the Chiefs’ loss to the Denver Broncos. Patrick Mahomes had the flu and it was about time Denver registered its first win over the league’s best quarterback. If you want to argue that Sunday’s loss proved the Chiefs have some questions at wide receiver, well, I’ve been saying that since Week 1. Kansas City should have considered being buyers at the trade deadline. Ultimately, Brett Veach decided not to, so we’ll see what happens.

The Chiefs offense still ranks No. 4 in the league in yards per game, but what I love about the Chiefs this year is how the defense has performed. The unit ranks second in the NFL in points allowed per game (16.1), which is actually on pace to be the best scoring defense Andy Reid has ever had in his career. We’ll see how it fares against the explosive Dolphins.

Five Things to Watch on Sunday | Dolphins vs. Chiefs | The Mothership

5. Kansas City has often bounced back quickly from tough losses in recent years.

The Chiefs dropped a tough one last week, but recent history should provide some comfort. In his six years as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes is 14-3 in regular-season games immediately following a loss.

Here’s a quick season-by-season breakdown of Mahomes’ record following a loss:

2018: 3-1

2019: 2-1

2020: 1-0

2021: 4-1

2022: 3-0

2023: 1-0

That past success doesn’t guarantee anything moving forward, and the Chiefs will need to take care of business on Sunday, but if anything, that 14-3 record indicates an ability to quickly bounce back from difficult circumstances. Mahomes will aim to make it 15-3 this weekend.

One Prediction for Every NFL Team Entering the Second Half of the 2023 Season | Bleacher Report

Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes finishes with the worst season of his career

On paper, and excluding a rookie campaign in which he threw 35 passes. The support just isn’t quite there, and bringing back Mecole Hardman Jr. won’t fix that. The Chiefs will still likely win the AFC and go on a Super Bowl run, but Mahomes hasn’t been right this season, and I don’t see that changing enough with a relatively tough second-half sked.

NFL backup QB rankings: Which teams are living dangerously with plans? | USA Today

20. Kansas City Chiefs

If greatness by osmosis is possible, Blaine Gabbert could be legendary. Now in his 12th season, he’s backed up Carson Palmer, Tom Brady and now Patrick Mahomes since transitioning from a starting role. Yet, unsurprisingly, Gabbert has barely played in the last five years, so hard to say what he’s bringing to the table. South Dakota State product Chris Oladokun is on the practice squad.

Around the NFL

Browns to start Deshaun Watson at QB against Cardinals | ESPN

Watson has missed all but one quarter of Cleveland’s past four games due to a rotator cuff strain in his right throwing shoulder. Watson was limited in practices Wednesday and Thursday but had a full practice Friday.

“He’s comfortable,” Stefanski said. “He looks good.”

Watson last started against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 22, but left in the first quarter after taking a hit. He said afterward he had aggravated the shoulder, though an MRI afterward showed no further damage. When he left, Watson had completed just 1 of 5 passes for 5 yards and an interception.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs News: Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid expanding NFL internationally

“The fans are going to be loud,” head coach Andy Reid predicted in Friday’s post-practice press conference in Frankfurt, “and they’re going to be loud for both offense and defense. That’s just how that goes, at least with my past experience playing overseas.

“That’s OK — we like that. The thing I’ve seen is just there’s a bunch of different jerseys from different teams in the stadium. We like that in the National Football League because that fanbase is very important. To have a fanbase that is in Europe is a big thing for all of us.”

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has become one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. He is happy to give his international fans a chance to see him.

“I’ve had this game circled,” reigning league MVP stated speaking after Reid, “knowing that the Chiefs Kingdom is in Germany. I want them to be able to see us firsthand. I’m excited to be able to play out here.”

Always impeccable with history of the NFL, Reid showed respect to Germany’s support for NFL Europa, which folded in 2007. When the league ceased operations, five of the remaining six teams were in Germany.

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