The Chiefs had a loss on Monday that tight end Travis Kelce called “embarrassing.”
But they have to put that result against Las Vegas behind them, as they’ll have another opportunity to clinch the AFC West on Sunday against Cincinnati.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who finished Monday’s contest 27-of-44 for 235 yards with a touchdown and an interception, said during his Wednesday press conference that the Chiefs can still accomplish their ultimate goals. But the offense needs to be more cohesive as a unit.
“In order for offenses to work in this league it takes everybody — it starts with me, and it goes throughout everyone else and everyone has to be on the same page,” Mahomes said. “This last week we weren’t on the same page in some critical moments and that hurt us. I believe in these guys. We work our tail off and I know we say it every week but we go out there and put whatever we can on tape.
“Everyone is putting everything they have in this game during the week and during the game and I trust these guys are going to continue to work. We have two games left to prove it. At the end of the day, we can talk about it all we want, we have two games left to show that this work we’re putting in every single week is going to pay off.”
Mahomes added that even with the conference’s No. 1 seed off the table, the Chiefs can still make a run in the postseason.
“[O]nce you get to the playoffs it’s open for everyone to go out there and win it,” Mahomes said. “I think that starts with today’s practice, how we practice. We know Cincinnati, we know them well, they’re going to play hard, they have a great football team, a great defense and it will be a great challenge as an offense for us to go up against.”
Mahomes noted that he’s been critical of himself this week, particularly when it comes to footwork and drifting out of the pocket. But he’s also staying positive to help motivate the team.
“I think people see frustration and they think it causes controversy,” Mahomes said. “I see it as a way of showing that people care — they care about their profession, they care about trying to do whatever they can do to win games. When I see stuff like that happen, obviously, we want to be in the positive light and all of that. I see someone that cares about the game and someone who wants to be better, not better for themselves but better for the team.”
We’ll see if the Chiefs can channel what’s gone wrong into something that goes right on Sunday afternoon.
