Baker Mayfield may be in line to get some work Saturday night, while Patrick Mahomes is not expected to suit up as the Chiefs and Buccaneers meet in preseason action at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
According to the Buccaneers’ website, Mayfield is expected to play at least part of the game. Mahomes, meanwhile, is unlikely to take the field as he continues to recover from major knee surgery in December. Chiefs coach Andy Reid will make the final decision later this week.
Tampa Bay already got one preseason win without Mayfield in the lineup. With the quarterback sitting out, former KU quarterback Jalon Daniels helped guide the Buccaneers to a 24-16 road victory over the Jets. Daniels went 10 of 15 for 111 yards and also ran for a touchdown.
The Chiefs enter this one looking to break a preseason skid. They lost to the Rams on Saturday and have not won a preseason game since beating the Cleveland Browns 33-32 on Aug. 26, 2023.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Central on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, at Raymond James Stadium.
For viewers in Kansas City, the game will air on KSHB (Ch. 41), with Ari Wolfe and Trent Green on the call. Kimmi Chex and Matt McMullen will serve as sideline reporters.
Radio coverage, with Mitch Holthus, will be available on KFNZ (96.5 FM) in Kansas City and KNSS (98.7 FM) in the Wichita area.
DraftKings has opened the Chiefs as a 1 1/2-point favorite, with the over/under set at 36 1/2 points.
In Other News...
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The Chiefs opened their 2026 preseason with a loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but the bigger takeaway for roster watchers was how many undrafted players helped make the picture more crowded. Wide receiver Andrew Armstrong, tight end Jake Briningstool and cornerback Melvin Smith each found ways to get noticed, and that matters this time of year when every snap can shift a depth-chart conversation.
Armstrong flashed as a dependable target and showed he can contribute beyond the catch point, while Briningstool kept popping up as a reliable option in the passing game. Smith, meanwhile, is starting to draw attention as one of the lesser-known names trying to force his way into the discussion, and performances like this are exactly why the Chiefs final cuts may be tougher than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Roster Battle Just Got Much Tougher After First Preseason Game
The Chiefs are back in training camp after their first preseason game, and the loss to the Rams gave the staff another set of live reps to sort through before roster decisions start to harden. As always in August, the game itself mattered less than the auditions, and Kansas City came away with a sharper look at where the bottom of the 53-man roster is getting crowded and where the team still needs answers, especially after seeing how the quarterbacks and running back depth handled the moment.
A few of the postgame observations also point toward position groups that could become especially interesting once the Chiefs resume practices. The roster picture is still very much in motion, with coach comments and game-day usage offering clues about who is safe, who is fighting uphill and which players may be forcing the team to rethink some of its assumptions before the next preseason test. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Face One Massive Mahomes Problem Heading Into 2026
The Chiefs spent part of their offseason trying to take some of the burden off Patrick Mahomes, and the logic is easy to follow. Kansas City added Kenneth Walker III, Emari Demercado and Emmett Johnson as part of an effort to strengthen the running game and help in pass protection, a clear sign the team wants a more manageable path for its quarterback after last seasons injuries changed the feel of the offense.
Mahomes is back in training camp in 2026 and working with the first unit, which is encouraging on its face, but his return comes with an obvious layer of caution. The larger question for Kansas City is not whether he can line up and throw, but how comfortable the offense will look as he adjusts to playing with a knee brace and how much the Chiefs can lean on the ground game to keep him from having to carry everything again. [Read more 🡒]