The Kansas City Chiefs will play the Arizona Cardinals in their first pre-season game this weekend, ahead of the new NFL campaign.
This will be the Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and co’s first outing since they suffered a devastating defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX as they failed in their bid to achieve a historic three-peat.
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Mahomes and Kelce are bidding for their fourth Super Bowl victory in 2025Credit: Getty
Travelling to Glendale, Arizona for their first pre-season match-up, Kansas City will then travel to Lumen Field to play the new-look Seattle Seahawks, before hosting the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium in their final pre-season outing.
The Chiefs will then begin their bid for Lombardi Trophy number four in seven campaigns by travelling to the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paolo, Brazil, where they will take on the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, get their new season up and running by facing the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome.
Chiefs at Cardinals: Date and how to watch
Chiefs Kingdom will take on the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Saturday, August 9.
The pre-season clash is scheduled to kick off at 5pm MST (Arizona) and 8pm ET.
It will be broadcast on CBS 5 (in Arizona) and KHSB 41 (in Kansas City).
The game can also be streamed on streaming services that have CBA in Arizona, including Paramount+ and FUBO, which have free trials available.
In Kansas City, the Chiefs and Cardinals game can also be streamed on FUBO on KSHB 41, as it is an NBC affiliate.
Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Sam Acho (analyst) are the scheduled announcers for the contest.
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This will be the Chiefs’ first game since their Super Bowl LIX lossCredit: GettyChiefs at Cardinals: Team news
The Chiefs haven’t yet revealed exactly who will be playing in the preseason matchup, however it is expected that Mahomes, Kelce, Chris Jones and other stars will see some – albeit very limited – pre-season snaps.
This comes based on prior history, with the Chiefs one of just a few teams in the NFL that has always played its starters in the preseason.
It will also be a good opportunity for Andy Reid and his coaching staff to get a good look at some positional areas, including that of left tackle, with first-round NFL draft pick Josh Simmons having so far impressed.
As such, free agency pick-up LT Jaylon Moore has since assumed responsibility at right tackle in the wake of an injury to Jawaan Taylor.
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will also have eyes on rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals, as well as checking on the health of Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown.
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Rookie Josh Simmons is currently the Kanas City Chiefs starter at left tackleCredit: Getty
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The Cardinals are expected to play their startersCredit: Getty
For the Cardinals, head coach Jonathan Gannon has opted to go with his starters for the contest, including quarterback Kyler Murray.
This is a vastly different approach to the one that Gannon has opted to use in the last two preseasons, where his starters played very little, and Murray didn’t feature whatsoever.
How much they will play on the field, though, remains to be seen.
One potential thing to note is that Reid may opt to sit out some of his starters due to the retractable grass field used at State Farm Stadium.
Trent McDuffie was lost for a significant part of his rookie season due to the surface with kicker Harrison Butker also injured.
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Nagy will be having a good look at his offense against the CardinalsCredit: GettyChiefs at Cardinals: What has been said?
With the Chiefs currently having 90 players on their roster, they need to whittle that down to 53 by the time the regular season rolls around.
OC Matt Nagy has said that preseason will be the optimal opportunity for some of their players to showcase why they deserve a place on the final roster.
“These guys are all competing for spots,” Nagy said.
“When our guys go out there – whether you are Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, or someone towards the bottom end of the roster working for a spot – it’s such an important time for these guys.
“We, as coaches, want to put them in the best positions possible by letting them play fast. If we let them play fast, they can show us what they have, so it will be fun. We want to go there and try to do everything to win.”
The Cardinals have opted to focus on developing their starters’ team chemistry early, as they look to better place themselves for the 2025 campaign.
“I told them (Monday) night they are going to play,” Gannon said.
“It’s the best thing for our team this year, honestly. We are at a good point with our health, we’re at a good point with our development, and I think this year with our team it’s the best thing to do for our guys.
“This is still training camp. We are still going to compete this week. We are going to load them up with the proper amount of volume. We’re going to be sticking to our process.”