The grills were already going, the drinks were already cold, and Arrowhead felt like Arrowhead again.
Even with the heat hanging over Kansas City, Chiefs fans showed up for preseason tailgating and made the most of the first home tune-up. For Joseph Hawkins, who handled the cooking for the day, that meant a spread built for a game day hangout.
“We came out here preseason with some of our friends and everything,” Joseph Hawkins, grill master for the day said. “We got some carne asada here with some Mexican sausage hot dogs, some tortillas, and then we’re just settling down with a few things here with some rice, you know, just the basics, some tortillas, and some chips and dip there.”
Tailgating at Arrowhead goes back to 1972, and for plenty of fans, this season carries a little extra weight. With a new stadium on the way, some are treating each visit like it matters a little more than the last.
“It’s always fantastic,” John Wight, a longtime Chiefs fan said. “Love coming out here, seeing people grilling, the smell, can’t replace it, and then after the news that we might be losing this spot, just had to come back. I love being out here for the first preseason game.”
Preseason, of course, is about working out the kinks on the field. Around the parking lots, it serves the same purpose. Mike Sisson showed up dressed as Andy Reid and said the early reps are helpful for fans too.
“It’s really great to be back out here at Arrowhead,” Mike Sisson, who dressed as Andy Reid said. “It’s a little, you know, few rookie mistakes. Forgot to pack a couple of things, but I’m sure by the regular season we’ll have it all down pat.”
Across generations, the message was the same. For some, it’s a tradition that started when the Chiefs arrived in Kansas City. For others, it’s simply the place they want to be.
“There’s no place like this,” Ryan Clemens, a young Chiefs fan said. “Arrowhead.”
The final Chiefs preseason home game is set for Friday, Aug. 28 against the Seattle Seahawks. After that, the regular-season home opener arrives two weeks later, with Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 14.
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Harrison Butker opened the Chiefs preseason with the kind of performance that usually quiets everything else around a kicker. He made all three field goal attempts in Kansas Citys preseason opener, including a 59-yard kick, giving the team a clean reminder that his leg is still very much part of the equation as camp pushes forward.
But the football side is only part of the conversation around Butker right now. His relationship with Travis Kelce has reportedly been strained since Butkers controversial commencement speech earlier in 2024, and the ripple effect has apparently carried into the locker room, where some teammates have taken sides and the unease has become hard to miss. For a veteran group that has spent years selling continuity, it is the sort of off-field tension that can linger well beyond one exhibition game. [Read more 🡒]
Andy Reid Sends Clear Message After Chiefs' Sloppy Preseason Opener
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Patrick Mahomes remained out as he continues to recover from a torn ACL, so rookie Garrett Nussmeier handled most of the snaps while the offense tried to find a rhythm without its starter. For Reid, the bigger concern was not who was on the field so much as how often the Chiefs put themselves behind schedule, a problem that can turn an August tune-up into an unwanted warning sign if it lingers. [Read more 🡒]