Chiefs Prep for New Season After Consecutive Super Bowl Win
The Kansas City Chiefs celebrated a remarkable achievement in 2023 by clinching their second consecutive Super Bowl championship. Despite the momentous victory, quarterback Patrick Mahomes acknowledged the team's offensive inconsistencies throughout the season. As the Chiefs gear up for the new season, they enter training camp with renewed focus and determination.
The training camp for quarterbacks and rookies kicks off on Wednesday at Missouri Western State University, with the entire team joining the fray on Sunday. The NFL champions are keen to build on their success and avoid the pitfalls that plagued them last season.
"The end result [last season] was awesome, but I think a lot of us still have a weird feeling in our mouth," Mahomes confessed. "It wasn't fun every single week having to try to just continue to get better and better and the results not paying off the way you wanted to. We have a lot of those same guys back and they know how that felt, so we're going to try to prepare ourselves better this year so that we can play better throughout the season and obviously try to end with the same result."
The Chiefs have bolstered their offensive arsenal with the acquisition of two rapid wide receivers. Free agent Marquise Brown and rookie Xavier Worthy, renowned for his blistering 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, are set to add a new dimension to Kansas City's attack. However, Worthy has been sidelined by a sore hamstring for most of the offseason practice sessions, which could impact his readiness.
Mahomes expressed confidence in Worthy's ability to overcome his physical setback. "There's no easing [him in]. He's going to have to be ready to go. We got a lot of competition on this offense," Mahomes stated. "He got a lot of mental work in these last few weeks that he had during OTAs and minicamp, but it's time to go now. Y'all saw it with Rashee [Rice] last year and some of the throwing-up days he had. We're going to push you to the limit and prepare yourself to be ready to go for the season. That's not just him. That's everybody and everybody has to have that mentality when they come into camp."
Training at Missouri Western State University will also challenge the Chiefs' offensive line, providing them valuable experience against the league's premier defense. "We added a lot of speed. What's better than going against our defense? It's the best defense in the NFL and we get to go against them every single day and really show where we're at and how we can get better," Mahomes enthused.
The MVP quarterback underscored the importance of maintaining a high level of intensity as the new season approaches. "We're back at St. Joe. It's time to get better. Every season starts differently. You've got to come in with that same mentality you had the year before, even with a higher intensity and even though we won the Super Bowl last year, we felt like we didn't play our best football, especially offensively. So it's our goal to be better that way and coming in with that mentality every single day," Mahomes added.
Off the field, Mahomes and his wife Brittany are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their third child. Mahomes shared his excitement for growing his family. "It's awesome. I always wanted to have kids young. I got to grow up in the locker room. I think I've talked about it before and it made such an impact in my life and so I wanted to have kids young and we're having our third kid now to join our family."
The announcement also came with a humorous twist. "I'm done. I'll say that. I said three and I'm done," Mahomes quipped, emphasizing their plans to cap their family at three children.
As the Kansas City Chiefs look ahead to another promising season, they will be balancing a blend of seasoned experience and fresh talent, all while striving to address the offensive concerns that marked their last campaign. With Mahomes leading the charge and a strengthened roster aiming for yet another championship, all eyes will be on the Chiefs as they embark on their quest for a third consecutive Super Bowl title.