KANSAS CITY — Only one rookie quarterback has beat Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium since Mahomes became the starter for the Chiefs in 2018. That was Aidan O’Connell of the Raiders in 2023. He won here on Christmas Day despite completing just 9-of-21 passes for 62 yards, thanks to back-to-back touchdowns from the Las Vegas defense in the second quarter.
The other rookies, including Denver’s Drew Lock (2019), are 0-4 against Mahomes in Kansas City. (Justin Herbert won here as a rookie in 2020, but that came during a Week 17 game in which the Chiefs were resting Mahomes and the rest of their starters.)
That’s not the only roadblock Nix faces. The Broncos have not won a game at Arrowhead Stadium since 2015, during Peyton Manning’s last season as the team’s quarterback. Mahomes overall is 12-1 against the Broncos, his lone last coming last season in Denver.
The weather should not be too significant of a factor for Nix and the Broncos. Though it rained here Saturday morning and Arrowhead hosted a college game between Kansas and Iowa State on Saturday afternoon, the field appears to be in good shape and temperatures should near 60 degrees with a light wind.
The Broncos will need a steady performance from Nix in these conditions in order to break their eight game losing streak in Kansas City.
“These games are fun because there’s a level of excitement, a level of passion going into the game,” Nix said this week. “These are the games you grew up watching and playing, so if you’re not ready for these games then you probably don’t belong in the league. I’m excited about this, the hostility and a new environment.”
