Arrowheadlines: Patrick Mahomes lights up the Big Slick KC once again

The latest

Patrick Mahomes showed off some more behind the back magic

Teases that it he will do it in a game next

He also hit a home run

Yannick Ngakoue landing spots: Free agent defensive end looking for ‘stable home’ in next team | CBS Sports

Landing spots

Kansas City Chiefs

This one’s obvious, right? If Ngakoue is prioritizing a situation where he’s best positioned to win a championship, the defending Super Bowl champions — and the current betting favorite to win it all again — have to be mentioned. Kansas City is going through a youth movement at the defensive end position, selecting George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the first round in each of the last two drafts. They also signed Charles Omenihu in free agency, so they may already be set at the position, but Ngakoue could be a luxury addition if his market doesn’t heat up. Money could also be an issue here with the Chiefs only having about $1 million in space, per Spotrac. Still, if Ngakoue wants to win, the Chiefs would naturally be on his radar.

Manning takes brief break from NBA Finals to worry about Chiefs | Denver Sports

Manning was at Ball Arena with his son cheering on the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. He was sitting very close to Payton, while Wilson was also in the house sitting next to safety Justin Simmons.

“I’ve been living in Denver for 11 years now,” Manning said. “Football town, hockey town, and now a basketball town. It’s been great, and it’s been a fun run to watch these guys.”

It was quite the day for The Sheriff, who golfed with NBA legend Charles Barkley before the game. But all the excitement didn’t stop Manning from worrying about the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I like my Broncos, I wish the Chiefs would get out of the division” Manning joked. “Unfortunately they’re not going anywhere so we’ve still got some work to do.”

2023 AFC West race: Will Chiefs or Chargers win division crown? Reasons why each team could prevail | CBS Sports

Kansas City Chiefs

This entry could be two words: Patrick Mahomes. The 2022 NFL MVP and Super Bowl LVII MVP is inevitable. He led the league in passing yards (5,250) and passing touchdowns (41) while ranking second in passer rating (105.2) despite losing All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs led the NFL in scoring offense (29.2 points per game) and total offense (413.6 total yards per game) while Mahomes recorded his second-lowest pass yards per attempt of his career (8.1). He turned into an incredibly efficient short and intermediate passer, tying an NFL record with 28 passing touchdowns to running backs and tight ends, something done only one other time by Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle in 1963. Whatever his situation is, Mahomes will adapt and find a way to win.

Around the NFL

Bills OLB Von Miller (ACL) feels he’ll be ready to play in 2023 season opener vs. Jets | NFL.com

The Buffalo Bills pass rusher saw his first season in Buffalo end abruptly when Miller suffered a torn ACL on Thanksgiving. But Miller is highly confident that he’ll be back in top form before long, pledging that his goal is to return before the start of the 2023 NFL season.

“You know I love guarantees,” Miller said, via 9 News’ Mike Klis. “It’s me, it’s Von. I love guarantees. I want to play. In 2013, I had (ACL) surgery in January and I played at the beginning of August in the preseason. So that put me around seven months, eight months.

“And 10 years removed from that, 2023, I have a whole new outlook. I know exactly where I’m supposed to be at two months, four months, six months and in the position where I’m at now, I feel great, I feel comfortable. I feel like I’ll be ready to go at the start of the season.”

Tom Brady certain he’s retired, ‘dream’ to buy into Raiders | ESPN

“I’m certain I’m not playing again, so I’ve tried to make that clear and I hate to continue to profess that, cause I’ve already told people that lots of times,” Brady told Sports Illustrated in response to a question about fans and media who continue to come up with scenarios where he might return to the field.

Later Thursday, Brady, 45, told ESPN in an interview with “SportsCenter” that becoming a part-time NFL owner is a “dream come true.”

“I ... want to be involved in the NFL for the next 45 years of my life if I last that long,” Brady said.

Falcons expect Kyle Pitts to be ready for start of season | ESPN

Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Friday he anticipates “everybody” being ready for the season opener on Sept. 10 against Carolina.

“Everybody” would include tight end Kyle Pitts, who is recovering from surgery to repair his right MCL.

Asked specifically about Pitts’ recovery, Smith maintained multiple times that the team is going to be smart with its third-year tight end, but it’s an indication he should be ready by the opener.

“We fully anticipate everybody being ready to go Sept. 10,” Smith said prior to the team’s second OTA practice. “And so we’ll be smart.”

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs’ Matt Nagy explains what Patrick Mahomes is working on ahead of 2023

Matt Nagy coached under head coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City from 2008 to 2017. Reid’s guidance led Nagy to the head coach position of the Chicago Bears in 2018. The former quarterback won AP Coach of the Year during his first season in Chicago and led the Bears to the playoffs twice — but the organization moved on after the team went 6-11 in 2021.

Now back with the Chiefs, Nagy knows he’s been lucky.

“Everybody here knows I was fortunate enough to come in here in 2013 with [Reid],” he noted on Thursday, “and kind of be there to be a part of the process of implementing the system that we run. That’s evolved immensely in that time till now.”

Even though Reid’s offensive scheme has changed over time, Nagy has an advantage because he was here for its foundation. As is well known, Reid stays ahead of the curve by self-scouting and tinkering things during each offseason.

That keeps opposing defensive coordinators guessing.

“Every year is different, and we’re really hard on ourselves to be in the top three every year in almost all categories,” said Nagy. “We want to do that, but there’s some areas of improvement that we have that we know we can get better at without telling the whole world. We know what they are, and internally we’re working on that.

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