KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ From his perch on the opposite end of the field, Patrick Mahomes studied and observed every snap about 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Out of danger, to be sure. But far from out of sight.
With an injury preventing his inclusion for the first time in his NFL career, Mahomes remained active on the sideline during Sunday's 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers _ at least, as best he could. And that surprised precisely no one.
He waved his arms to generate more crowd noise. Argued for more time on the clock at the end of the game. Rushed out to greet his replacement, Matt Moore, after a touchdown.
"He's pretty high-strung," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "I had to pull him back off the field two or three times. You can't go on the field without a uniform on. Just to congratulate his teammates _ that's why I was pulling him back. He was into it."
But he put his energy to use, too. Although Reid said Mahomes fought to play Sunday, he instead embraced the role of a typical backup quarterback, an earpiece lodged into one ear, listening intently to the in-game conversations between Moore and the coaches.
And then offered feedback.
Before the game, as they both took part in warmups hours before kickoff, Moore told Mahomes he wanted his advice. "Don't hold anything back," he told him. "You be you."
Mahomes obliged. Occasionally, between offensive drives, he joined Reid and Moore on the bench to dissect something he'd just seen. It's a spot in which conversations between Mahomes and Reid have become normal protocol, the two of them engaged in a private conversation in front of 75,000 onlookers.
On Sunday, a reservation for two became an invitation for three.
"Pat popped up from time to time on the sideline and had great stuff," Moore said. "We were looking at pictures, and he had great stuff. We worked through everything. He told me everything that came to his mind."
At one point, NBC's cameras _ which seemed to be fixated on a man in street clothes for much of the game _ caught Mahomes mouthing the Packers' defensive scheme. Before the snap. "Man coverage," he appeared to say rather nonchalantly.
"He was into it," Reid said. "I thought he handled it as well as he can. He obviously didn't like being in that role, but he handled it well."
It remains unclear exactly how long Mahomes will occupy that role. He has told the Chiefs he wants to play, Reid said, but he is still less than two weeks removed from dislocating his kneecap in Denver. Ensuing tests show he escaped the worst-case scenario.
The team's medical personnel will handle the timeline from here, Reid said, adding that Mahomes will practice Wednesday, barring something unforeseen between now and then.
It goes without saying that he hopes to play. But if can't, he'll be watching intently once more.
Moore will be counting on it.
"I think one of his best traits in his vision, so he's going to see things a lot of guys don't," Moore said. "Anything that I can get from somebody like that, I'm going to take it and try to use it the best I can."
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