Andy Reid makes it emphatic: Patrick Mahomes will not play against the Rams

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid delivered a clear answer about Patrick Mahomes on Thursday, saying the franchise quarterback will not play in the team’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. The update follows comments from Reid last week indicating Mahomes would probably sit in the Chiefs’ first preseason appearance, but the newer remarks remove most ambiguity about whether Mahomes would take the field at all during the opening exhibition.

Reid’s wording at the press conference was framed as more definitive than his earlier preseason comments. According to the report, he first indicated he did not yet know if Mahomes would appear in the preseason, then later offered a more emphatic message as the week advanced. On Thursday, the message narrowed to a single opponent and a specific game window: Mahomes is not expected to play against the Rams.

For a team built around Mahomes’s role as the engine of the passing game, a decision to hold him out this early has practical consequences. Preseason snaps are often about timing and rhythm, but they also carry risk, especially for a quarterback whose offseason preparation typically targets the regular-season opener rather than exhibition continuity. By clarifying that Mahomes will not play versus Los Angeles, the Chiefs are indicating that their early evaluation priorities likely shift to other quarterbacks and to the deeper supporting cast.

The opponent matters as well. Los Angeles, as a preseason matchup, still presents game-situation looks that can stress a roster in ways practice cannot fully replicate, from scripted rush and coverage concepts to third-down package variations. With Mahomes sidelined, Kansas City will instead lean on the next group of passers to run the offense, and the emphasis will fall on execution under live-fire conditions, including red-zone pacing, protection calls, and third-down conversion packages.

Reid’s decision also affects how fans and analysts interpret the Chiefs’ exhibition plan. Preseason is frequently treated as a developmental bridge, but a Mahomes absence changes the lens. When the starter is out, it becomes easier to overemphasize the performance of backups while underweighting the context that starters bring in terms of reads and play sequencing. That is especially true for teams that use exhibition games to evaluate multiple roster roles across the depth chart rather than to refine one unit’s timing.

The report notes that Reid had not offered definitive answers about Mahomes’s status in the later portion of the preseason on Thursday, even as he was clear about the Rams game. That distinction matters. A clear “not in this one” differs from a blanket “sits the rest of the preseason,” which means Kansas City’s subsequent preseason usage could still evolve based on how the quarterback rotation and protection patterns look in early live action.

Beyond quarterback attention, a Mahomes sit will influence how coaches measure the supporting groups. The Chiefs will likely put more of the passing burden on other quarterbacks who must coordinate with receivers, tight ends, and running backs through the timing routes that usually depend on starter leadership. It also creates more opportunities for position battles along the offensive line and in the skill positions, since the team can rep more of its depth while still maintaining a risk-averse plan for its franchise starter.

The Chiefs and Rams will therefore enter their preseason matchup with an unusually clean headline: Mahomes is not taking the field against Los Angeles. The next question is how Kansas City’s offense is run without him, particularly which quarterback group handles the key series and how the team responds if the exhibition reveals protection or play-calling issues. For Kansas City, the value of the game will be less about Mahomes’s rhythm and more about what the rest of the roster can prove under pressure.