Watch: Patrick Mahomes Postgame Press Conference

On the effort of the offensive line:

“I thought they did a great job. You know, they've been working hard the entire camp, and obviously, the veteran guys did a great job. but it was good to see the young guys go up against some good rushers in some games and stuff like that, and give me a lot of time in the pocket. When they give you time like that, guys can get open down field, and it's kind of like cliche, but it starts up front, and when the offense line’s blocking like that, it kind of gets the offense going.”

On getting reps with new left guard Kingsley Suamataia and rookie left tackle Josh Simmons in a preseason game:

“I was super excited to get out there, especially at Arrowhead, and get real reps with these guys. You know, I always talk about getting hit and stuff like that, but to get the feel for the pocket, the trust with those guys, and give guys chances to make plays downfield, it shows that all the hard work that we put in at training camp is paying off. And this is a little step, but it's a little step in the right direction. And so, we're excited now to have two weeks to kind of prepare play a really good defense in the Chargers. And so, that’s a good step today, and we'll continue to build as we get ready for the regular season.”

On specific areas in which Suamataia and Simmons did well:

“Yeah, I thought they stepped up and did a lot of great things. You know, we challenged them all camp, and we gave them the hardest they can get: Going against Spags (Steve Spagnuolo). And putting them in one-on-one situations, and they learned and got better and better. And they have to continue to take steps in the right direction, and they've done that. And so, there'll be mistakes every once in a while; that's part of it. That's part of playing in the NFL, but it's how you respond. And I'm excited for these guys to be challenged and then go out there and show who they are.”

On confidence in hitting the deep ball:

“Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's just the defenses are going to play us the way that they played us, kind of into these last few years, and how they played today. We got to be able to win on the outside. And even the play early in the game that Rashee (Rice) got the facemask, thought he made a good adjustment on the ball before that. And so, if they're going to be one-on-one on the outside, we can make plays. It puts them into the, you kind of saw that, you put them into the shell coverages, and then Travis (Kelce) starts getting going and stuff like that. And so, in order to be the best version of ourselves, we have to be able to prove game-by-game that we can hit these deep passes. And if we do that, it opens up the rest of the offense and everybody can get going.”

On how much he needed to play in the preseason:

“Yeah, for me, I wanted to get out there. You know, the preseason is the preseason. We understand it, and you want everybody to stay safe and have your health and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, you're a football player, and you got to play football, and there's risks that are involved with that.

“And so, we on this team, we want to get out there and give chances to showcase that what we're doing is paying off. And with new offensive linemen and a couple new receivers, and getting guys back that were injured last year, you want to go out there and showcase what you've been working on. And I thought we did a good job of that today, especially in those earlier groups. And so how can we build on that these next few weeks to go up against a great defense, against the Chargers? And like I said, it's a small step, but it was a step in the right direction.”

On the bubble screen play:

“Yeah, it's just another threat. Rashee (Rice) gets those screens like that and he gets 15-20, yards and that kind of crushes the defense when they're worried about us going deep, and then all of a sudden, we're hitting screens and getting the same explosive plays. That kind of completes the offense. And so having a guy like Rashee, and then I think Xavier (Worthy) can do that stuff, I think Hollywood (Brown) can do that stuff, and then I think (Jalen) Royals can do that stuff. And so, it's having a couple guys, a couple versions of guys, that can go out there and make those plays happen that keeps the defense guessing on kind of where we're attacking on the field.”

On going back to Brashard Smith after he dropped an early pass on the first drive:

“Yeah, I think that's more Coach (Andy) Reid. I’ve kind of gotten the sense now that, Coach Reid, usually if something happens, a mistake happens of any sort, and Coach Reid gives a guy another opportunity. And that was a tough catch in that first one. I gave him a chance on the field, and he wasn't able to come up with it. But it was good to see that he was coming up on the one, that tough catch over the middle there, and getting down there close to the red zone. I think I missed Noah (Gray) on a wide-open touchdown as I threw it, but it was still good to see 30 (Brashard Smith) get the catch.”