Patrick Mahomes has plan to combat troubles the Chiefs had in noon games in 2024
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mahomes identifies noon kickoffs as performance risk and plans focused prep.
- Chiefs review past noon starts, noting late-game comebacks and early lapses.
- Game plan emphasizes nightly rest, distributed preparation and sharp starts.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t need a schedule to know the Raiders were coming to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday.
Mahomes knew when he arrived at practice this week.
“You feel that when you step in the building during Raider week,” Mahomes said Wednesday. “I always say it doesn’t matter if you’re doing good, they’re doing good, both doing good, both doing bad. This game, it means more to everybody that’s playing in the game, both sides of the football, and so you have to have that mentality. It’s a true rivalry game.
“You don’t have a lot of those in the NFL. I’m blessed to be a part of it, because it really does bring out the best in both teams.”
The Chiefs have dominated the series in recent memory, winning eight of the last nine meetings and 13 of the previous 15.
But the victories haven’t always come easy. The Chiefs have never lost in Las Vegas since the Raiders made it their home. But the Raiders have won two of the last five games at Arrowhead.
And the Chiefs were fortunate to come away with a win last year when the Raiders were in field-goal range late in the game. Fortunately for KC, the Raiders fumbled the snap and lost 19-17.
While the NFL loves putting Chiefs games in prime time, Sunday’s game will kick off at noon.
That’s significant because the Chiefs haven’t always played well in games that start before the late-afternoon window.
The fumbled-snap win over the Raiders last year kicked off at 2 p.m. on Black Friday. The Chiefs lost to Las Vegas at home on Christmas Day in 2023 in a game that started at noon.
“It’s something we can be better at, honestly,” Mahomes said. “We haven’t got that noon game this year, and I think last year we kind of came out flat in some of those games.“
Mahomes’ memory is spot-on, as usual. The Chiefs were 5-0 in noon starts on their way to a 15-2 regular-season record. But the Chiefs didn’t always start strong.
But here is a closer look at those games.
- Fell behind 14-3 but beat Denver 16-14 on a last-second blocked field goal at Arrowhead.
- Spencer Shrader kicked a game-winning field goal at the gun as the Chiefs won 30-27 at Carolina.
- The Chiefs led by two touchdowns at the half and beat the Browns 21-7 in Cleveland.
- Trailed by three early in the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium but downed the Texans 27-19.
- The Chiefs beat the Steelers on Christmas Day 29-10, pulling away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Mahomes said preparation will be the key for this noon start against the Raiders, who are 2-4 but coming off a 20-10 win over the Titans.
“We have to have the mentality of getting your work done at night and making sure you get a good night’s rest, preparing yourself maybe a little bit more during the week, so you don’t have to get that last-minute study, kind of like cramming for an exam,” Mahomes said. “You want to prepare yourself throughout the week, so that when you wake up in the morning, you’re fresh, you’re ready to go. You get to the stadium, and you get out there and start the right way, and don’t start flat and have to dig yourself out of a hole.”
