Patrick Mahomes is checking off a football first this weekend: playing at Lambeau Field. The defending Super Bowl and league MVP has been to Lambeau before, but he has never played a game at the iconic NFL stadium and said he is "extremely excited for it."
Of the three times the Chiefs have played the Packers in the regular season in Mahomes' Era, two were at Arrowhead Stadium and one was at Lambeau, which Mahomes was sidelined for due to a knee injury. The Chiefs have taken on the Packers in the preseason, but Mahomes did not play in those games.
"I'm excited, if you love football, you love Lambeau Field. I'm excited to get the opportunity to play there," Mahomes said.
The previous contests against the Packers were when the team was led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who Mahomes is 1-1 against. This weekend, Mahomes & Co. will be facing off against Jordan Love, who is in his first season as Green Bay's starting quarterback.
Mahomes had high praise for the QB he will be going up against on "Sunday Night Football." The two time Super Bowl champion said he's noticed Love's improvement as Love continues to get more reps.
"Jordan has gotten better and better every single game," Mahomes said (via Pro Football Talk). "He's always had the talent, but when you get more and more reps -- I mean he didn't play for three years basically -- so he's gotten more and more reps, you can see how much more comfortable he's getting."
When Love first came into the league, he backed up Rodgers. When the veteran left for the New York Jets, it was finally Love's time to run the offense.
It has not been a perfect start for the former first-round pick. So far this season, he has 2,599 yards with 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 60.5 completion percentage. The Packers are currently 5-6, but they've won two straight games and three of four.
The 8-3 Chiefs are six-point favorites heading into the matchup, but Mahomes noted that the Packers' last two games prove this will not necessarily be an easy win. He's seen a lot of Green Bay film this season, because it has played a lot of the same opponents.
"They have playmakers everywhere, and their defense can play. … It will be a great challenge for us, and they're a hot football team that just beat another great football team so they have confidence coming in. We've got to match that confidence and try to find a way to win a football game."
Mahomes said he will not just be tasked with taking on the Packers, but also handling the fans as well.
"I know it's going to be a hostile environment; the fans are going to be loud, it's going to be a lot like Arrowhead is to other teams," Mahomes said.
