AFC Notes: Patrick Mahomes, Sean Payton, Russell Wilson, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos HC Sean Payton responded to questions about keeping the offensive starters in for a fourth preseason drive, with QB Russell Wilson noting that the team wanted to 

“We looked at the numbers and we went one more with the offense,” Payton said after the game, via BroncosWire.com. “I think defense totals, it was a little easier [to sit them], and then I wanted to, shoot, I wanted to score and leave with a good taste in our mouths.”

“I thought that we really wanted to get some drives in there,” Wilson added. “I thought that we knew we were going to get probably 15 to 18 plus plays, somewhere in there. I thought it was really good how we responded. After the first drive the ball really started moving, the third drive and fourth drive obviously we finished it off. It was a really great route by Jerry. Good job by him just getting open there in a split second. They brought on full pressure and he did a great job winning and getting the touchdown for us and that was big.”

Chiefs

In his first five seasons as a starting quarterback, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has already set himself on a potentially legendary trajectory. He has 63 wins in the regular season, nearly 200 touchdown passes and two Super Bowl wins in three appearances. The question now is if he can catch Tom Brady for “GOAT” status. Brady had 58 wins, 123 touchdowns, and three Super Bowl wins in his first five seasons as a starter and finished his career with seven rings and 10 trips to the Super Bowl. 

“Seven’s a lot, but I’ll strive to get as close as I can,” Mahomes said via NBC Sports’ Peter King. “To win seven Super Bowls and be in 10 Super Bowls, it’s crazy to even think about, even for me today. The other stats kinda come with it. I knew at Texas Tech, I put up a lot of stats but didn’t win games. When I got to the NFL, I knew I wanted to be a winner [first]. Try to win Super Bowls and give my team the best that I can.”

Raiders

Raiders HC Josh McDaniels said veteran quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer had already put in work in a joint practice with the 49ers, which led to the team playing QB Aidan O’Connell. 

“There was a lot of firsts today for him — his first play call first, feeling pressure in the pocket, first two-minute drive, first halftime, all those things,” McDaniels said, via Pro Football Talk. “So, I thought he generally handled himself well for the first opportunity. He’s gonna learn a lot from some of the things that we might have been able to do a little bit better that would have helped us maybe sustain a few drives, but that’s why he was in there. So, he’s just a sponge, he soaks it all in, and he’ll take every opportunity to improve.”

“Definitely some things to work on still, but it was fun to be out there live action, and bullets are really flying,” O’Connell said of his performance. “It’s a little different when you play quarterback, even if you practice against another team that can’t tackle you in practice and they can now. [Y]ou just kind of hope to go out there and do your best and see what happens. I’m not worried about the stats. There are more things than just the stats, and especially responsibility in the run game and stuff like that that I know I need to improve on. So, I know I have a lot of work to go still.”