Patrick Mahomes just concluded a nearly flawless preseason, and now he’s ready to lead the Kansas City Chiefs into the regular season with a goal to avenge their Super Bowl loss.

Mahomes saw limited action through three preseason games but made his time count, concluding with a sharp performance against the Chicago Bears. In the 29-27 loss, Mahomes completed 8-of-13 passes for 143 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

After the game, he had a strong message for his Chiefs teammates.

Patrick Mahomes Gives Credit to Teammates

Speaking to reporters after Friday’s preseason finale, Mahomes said his strong performance was a reflection of how hard his teammates have worked during training camp and the preseason.

“I was super excited to get out there, especially at Arrowhead (Stadium) and get real reps,” Mahomes said, via The Associated Press.

“We talk about getting here and stuff like that, but to get a feel for the pocket, trust the guys, have a chance to make plays downfield — it shows all the hard work that we put in training camp has paid off.”

Mahomes also expressed faith that the team would continue to improve as the regular season approaches.

“This is a little step but it’s a step in the right direction. We’ll continue to build as we get ready for the regular season,” he said.

The Chiefs enter the season as favorites to return to the Super Bowl for what would be an NFL record-tying fourth straight year.

They lost out on the chance for a three-peat last season, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Chiefs have a challenging start to the season, traveling to Brazil to take on the rival Los Angeles Chargers on Friday, Sept. 5.

Patrick Mahomes Saw Extended Action in Preseason Finale

Mahomes had seen limited action in the preseason leading up to Friday’s game, with the Chiefs adopting an unusual approach for the finale.

Head coach Andy Reid said he would play close to a quarter in the first game against the Arizona Cardinals, but after the Chiefs recovered a fumble deep in Arizona territory, Mahomes ended up with an abbreviated appearance.

The Chiefs quarterback completed his only pass of the game for a one-yard touchdown, then hit the bench the rest of the game as the backups took over.

The Chiefs kept Mahomes on the sidelines for the second preseason game, a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but he was back on Friday against the Bears.

As USA Today’s Ayrton Ostly noted, the Chiefs made the unusual decision to play Mahomes for three full drives — breaking from other teams that rarely give starters much action in final preseason games.

“NFL teams typically use this last game situation to make decisions about depth players on the roster ahead of final cuts on Aug. 26,” Ostly wrote.

“Someone forgot to tell the Chiefs that. Two-time NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ starting offense played the opener three series against the Bears.

They scored a touchdown, field goal and another touchdown on Mahomes’ three drives.”