ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Patrick Mahomes is expected to play in just the first quarter when the Kansas City Chiefs open their preseason on the road against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Coach Andy Reid is limiting Mahomes, but if it were up to the quarterback, he'd play even more, as he finds plenty of value in preseason snaps.

"I always say that first hit, you want to get hit where it's not too hard, but you can feel it," Mahomes said Friday. "You go through a long offseason of working through the pocket and knowing the guys are rushing, but they can't touch you, so it's just different when you get in the game and you're able to get tackled and everything like that.

"I like to have at least one or two drives under my belt to say that I'm ready to go [and] we're doing the right things. Coach Reid, he allows me to do that."

Mahomes played a total of 36 snaps over the first two preseason games last year. He didn't play in the final exhibition game.

"Just getting into the flow," Reid said when asked about the benefits of preseason reps for Mahomes. "Going through warmups, the juices are going a little bit, more than what they do in practice. It's a gradual ramp-up."

Mahomes has made some memorable throws in the preseason, especially the bomb to Tyreek Hill that traveled 70 yards in the air for a touchdown during a 2018 game against the Atlanta Falcons.