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Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs talks with head coach Andy Reid.

The Kansas City Chiefs are bucking tradition for their final preseason game, leading to an unusual decision for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The team has given Mahomes some limited playing time in the preseason, including just one pass in the opening game. Though the team usually gives starters a rest in the preseason finale to focus on setting the bottom of the depth chart, head coach Andy Reid announced a change of course for Friday’s game.

Chiefs Plan to Play Patrick Mahomes

As Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star reported, the Chiefs are making the “unusual” decision to play Patrick Mahomes and the starters when they face the Chicago Bears in their preseason finale on Friday.

“Yeah, they’ll start it off for sure,” Reid said of the first unit. “And then will see how it goes from there.”

The Chiefs already played many of their starters in last week’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, with Reid saying he wanted some of the fringe roster candidates to have the chance to play with the first unit. That included backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, who started the game behind the entire starting offensive line.

“I wanted to give the best look we could for (the KC backups),” Reid said. “They’re trying to make the team. We got some guys that are right on the border of making it. And I wanted to see the quarterback work with the (starting) offensive line.”

The decision to play Mahomes in the preseason opener generated a bit of pushback, with some suggesting that it was taking an unnecessary risk — especially for a quarterback who was forced to play through injuries over the last few seasons. Though Reid said before the game that the starters would play close to a quarter, Mahomes only ended up taking the field for the first drive — which was shortened after the Seahawks fumbled the kickoff.

Mahomes led the team to a score, completing his only pass for a one-yard touchdown.

Patrick Mahomes Could Work With Injured Receiver

While it’s not clear exactly how long Mahomes could play in Friday’s game, Reid may want him to get a bit of work with a returning wide receiver. The speedy Hollywood Brown returned to practice after missing close to two weeks of training camp and the team’s first two preseason games.

Brown was able to participate in the team’s workout on Sunday, and Reid said the team would be monitoring him this week to see if he’s healthy enough to play in the preseason finale.

“We’ll see how he progresses through this thing,” Reid said. “It’s not a matter of wanting to be out there; he wants to do it. It’s just taking it slow. We don’t want any setbacks with this thing.”

Brown appeared in just two regular-season games last season after suffering an injury on the first play of the preseason, making nine receptions for 91 yards. He continued to ramp up through the playoffs, where he made five receptions for 50 yards in three games.

Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty

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