DENVER — After congratulating quarterback Bo Nix near midfield following the Broncos’ last-second victory Sunday, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes walked off alone and didn’t say anything before entering the visitors locker room inside Empower Field.
Once there, Mahomes remained silent.
When he reached the podium for his news conference, he used his voice to take much of the blame for the Chiefs’ 22-19 loss, an outcome that leveled the team’s record at 5-5.
“I think we’re really talented and we’ve got a lot of great players, but it’s about being more consistent. I think it starts with me,” Mahomes said. “There’s times where I’m firing and we’re moving the ball down the field at ease. But there’s times where we go in spurts where I miss a throw or a [pass] protection call.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
“We haven’t been consistent enough to win games. It starts with me.”
Throughout Sunday’s game, Mahomes never was able to get in rhythm against the Broncos’ defense.
One of the biggest examples happened on the Chiefs’ opening drive. Mahomes missed two deep shots for which speedy receivers Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton were each open downfield. The pass to Worthy was overthrown by 3 yards. Had they connected, Worthy could have scored on a 61-yard reception.
“I’ve just got to make the throw,” Mahomes said. “There’s no other way around it. The play was designed for [tight end] Travis [Kelce] — and I think Travis is wide open — but you have these alerts in your plays and how [safety Brandon Jones] was sitting with Xavier’s speed, I knew he was going to have a chance down the field. I’ve just got to give him a chance. I miss that one.”
Entering the game, the Chiefs were hoping a victory following their bye week would help them chase down the Broncos (9-2) and keep their hopes of a 10th consecutive AFC West title alive. But they now have just a 10% chance of winning the division, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, whose playoff probability model simulated the remainder of the season 10,000 times.
The Chiefs are also no longer favored to win the AFC West, according to ESPN BET. Their +500 odds are their longest to win the division since 2015, two years before Mahomes joined the team.
“It’s going to be tough to get back in the division race,” Mahomes said. “The goal is to get into the playoffs and try to make a run at it. We’ve got to learn from this one as much as possible, knowing we’re going to get a great opponent [in the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts] coming into Arrowhead [Stadium] next week.
“We’re kind of at that point where we’ve got to find a way to win games.”
Entering this season, 989 teams in the Super Bowl era had started 5-5 or worse through 10 games. Just 89 of those teams (9%) went on to make the postseason, and only two made the Super Bowl. The lone team to win the Super Bowl was the 2001 New England Patriots, who were led by first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady.
“It’s just a one-week mindset,” linebacker Nick Bolton said. “I mean, every week is kind of getting to the point where it’s like a playoff week. We’ve got to find a way to one game at a time.”
One poor decision from Mahomes in the third quarter made the Chiefs’ chances of beating the Broncos more difficult. With the Chiefs in the red zone, instead of throwing the ball out of bounds after scrambling — which would’ve set up a short field goal for kicker Harrison Butker — Mahomes tried to make an intermediate pass to running back Elijah Mitchell, only for Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian to intercept it.
On their ensuing possession, the Broncos capitalized by scoring their lone touchdown.
“You can’t do it,” Mahomes said of his decision. “I just didn’t throw it high enough. [McMillian] jumped up and made a good play. I’ve made that throw before, but with the type of game we’re in, don’t put the ball in harm’s way. Take the three points and move on to the next possession.”
Sunday’s loss left Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in a tight spot when it comes to winning another AFC West title; their odds stand at just 10%, according to Next Gen Stats. Cooper Neill/Getty Images
All five of the Chiefs’ losses this season have occurred in one-score games (decided by eight points or fewer). Entering this season, the Chiefs had won 17 consecutive one-score games, including playoffs, which was the longest streak in NFL history.
The Chiefs understand that they, at some point, might have to win a close game — or two or three — for them to clinch a playoff spot.
“When you’re playing good teams, whether it’s myself making a [play] call or the players playing, you’ve got to do the right things,” coach Andy Reid said. “You put the guys in the right position, and then guys have got to make plays when given an opportunity. That’s both sides of the ball.”
The one difference Sunday from the Chiefs’ previous four losses was that Mahomes was given the ball with four minutes left and the chance to lead a winning drive. But they never gained a first down or a yard. Mahomes’ final dropback, on third-and-10, ended with him being sacked by McMillian.
“That’s what you want, you want that opportunity at the end of the game,” Mahomes said. “I didn’t come through. I’ve been in that situation before. You get that first first down, it puts us in the driver’s seat. I didn’t find it there, and they came up with a good blitz on that third down. I didn’t give myself much of a chance.”
