Is Patrick Mahomes playing today? Chiefs QB’s availability status against Saints explored

Patrick Mahomes enters the upcoming season as the leader of defending Super Bowl champions in the Chiefs. The superstar quarterback is looking for back-to-back Lombardi Trophies as the preseason gets underway.

Fans wonder how much they'll see of the five-time Pro Bowler during the preseason. Head coach Andy Reid clarified that Mahomes and the starters will play just one snap versus the Saints.

Reid told ESPN and the media that the limited reps in the preseason can be of help to his starting quarterback:

"Just getting into the flow. Going through warmups, the juices are going a little bit, more than what they do in practice. It's a gradual ramp-up."

However, the quarterback told ESPN and the media ahead of the matchup that he would want to play beyond the first quarter:

"I always say that first hit, you want to get hit where it's not too hard, but you can feel it. You go through a long offseason of working through the pocket and knowing the guys are rushing, but they can't touch you, so it's just different when you get in the game and you're able to get tackled and everything like that."

While his snaps will be limited against the New Orleans Saints, Patrick Mahomes showed last season why he's the best quarterback in the NFL.

The Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller won his second league MVP in 2022. He led the NFL in passing yards (5,250) and touchdowns (41) last season.

It was his second career 5,000-yard season and second time leading in touchdowns, both in the 2018 season when he won his first MVP award.

As mentioned earlier, he led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in February.

Mahomes took home Super Bowl MVP honors for the second time, becoming the sixth player in NFL history to win it multiple times. He and the Chiefs are seen as favorites to make it back to the big game this upcoming season.

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How many snaps did Patrick Mahomes play in the previous preseason games?

Mahomes played 36 snaps over the first two preseason games last year. He didn't play in the final exhibition game.

The two-time All-Pro is no stranger to making big throws in the preseason. He tossed a pass to then-teammate Tyreek Hill that went 70 yards in the air for a touchdown in a 2018 matchup.

If Reid takes the same approach as he did last season, Patrick Mahomes will see limited action this preseason.