Patrick Mahomes feeling 'great,' on track to start Week 1 - ESPN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes believes he is on track to be the team's starter for Week 1, when Kansas City hosts the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 14 for «Monday Night Football.»

Since he was cleared in late July to participate in all football activities for training camp, Mahomes has not missed any of the Chiefs' practices. Although he is not expected to play Friday in the team's preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks, Mahomes shared Tuesday that he has accomplished all the checkpoints needed when it comes to strengthening his left knee, which was surgically repaired in December after he tore his ACL and LCL.

«Being able to go out there, day after day, and have the grind of a camp, that can even be harder than the [regular] season,» Mahomes said Tuesday. «It's been awesome for me to be able to do that. It's exciting. I didn't know if I was going to have to take days off, but my body has responded the right way.

»Honestly, the more we practice, the better I feel."

In practices, Mahomes has continued to increase his mobility, whether working on his footwork within the pocket or when he scrambles during 11-on-11 repetitions. A major theme of the Chiefs' camp has been Mahomes working more often under center Creed Humphrey to build chemistry with running back Kenneth Walker III, the team's biggest acquisition in free agency.

Beyond not thinking about his left knee all the time during practices, Mahomes has also performed in a way where his teammates and coaches can tell his intensity is higher than usual.

«I try to not make those hard cuts, but at the end of the day I'm a competitor,» Mahomes said, smiling. «It just kind of takes over sometimes. You want to still