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 prove it to yourself that you can do it. I've been able to do that in certain spots of making quick, reactionary cuts, which I think is the biggest thing. I've felt great doing it.
"The coaches kind of come up to me, like, 'Hey, let's calm down a little bit.' Just being a competitor, I want to go out there and win and give everything I have for the team."
If Mahomes doesn't play Friday, it will be the first time in his 10-year career that he has missed the entire preseason. Coach Andy Reid acknowledged Monday that the team's medical staff has yet to clear Mahomes to play in a game.
"With him not playing in the preseason, it could drive you crazy," offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said Tuesday of Mahomes. "He's like a coach on the sideline. But it's a good thing because you know he's itching to get back out there and do whatever he can do to help us win."
Mahomes hopes to hear that he is fully clear in a couple of weeks, when the Chiefs will be preparing to face the Broncos.
"It's nine months," Mahomes said of what his recovery will be by Week 1. "It's the amount of time [doctors] said from the beginning, that if I did everything the right way, I would be ready to play Week 1. I'm someone that, if you put [a goal] out in front of me, I want to go out and get it and maximize every single opportunity, every rep in the weight room, every hour that I can spend in the building to get my body right.
"This has always been the plan. From the day I got the surgery, as quick as I did, to hopefully the first game of the year, the plan will go accordingly, and I'll be able to go out there and be myself."
Mahomes did offer a glimpse of his athleticism Saturday. In the Chiefs' exhibition against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mahomes sprinted from the sideline onto the field and jumped to celebrate with kicker Harrison Butker, who made a 69-yard field goal before halftime.
"I just love football," Mahomes said, smiling. "It's such a cool sport. It takes everybody. Him hitting that field goal, I was as excited, I think, as he was, seeing your teammates succeed. I want to have fun and just enjoy being out there on the field again. I was pretty excited about that."