DENVER — After congratulating the quarterback bo nix following near midfield broncos‘Last-second victory Sunday, Chiefs quarterback patrick mahomes Walked alone and said nothing before entering the visitors’ locker room inside Empower Field.
Once there, Mahomes remained silent.
When he took the stage for his press conference, he used his voice to take most of the blame for the Chiefs. lost 22-19A result that tied the team’s record at 5–5.
Mahomes said, “I think we’re really talented and we have a lot of great players, but it’s about being more consistent. I think it starts with me.” “There are times when I’m firing and we’re moving the ball smoothly down the field. But there are times when we’re moving fast where I make a throw or miss the ball.” [pass] Security call.
“We haven’t been consistent enough to win games. It starts with me.”
Mahomes was never able to get into a rhythm against the Broncos’ defense throughout Sunday’s game.
One of the biggest examples occurred on the Chiefs’ opening drive. Mahomes missed two deep shots that had speedy receivers xavier worth And tyquan thornton Each were open downfield. The pass to Worthy was dropped from 3 yards. If they had connected, Worthy could have scored on a 61-yard reception.
“I’ve just got to throw,” Mahomes said. “There’s no other way. That’s what this play was designed for.” [tight end] travis [Kelce] – And I think Travis is completely open – but you have these alerts in your plays and how [safety Brandon Jones] Sitting with Javier’s speed, I knew he was going to get a chance down the field. I just have to give him a chance. “I miss that.”
Entering the game, the Chiefs were hoping a win after their bye week would help them chase the Broncos (9-2) and keep their hopes of a 10th consecutive AFC West title alive. But they now only have a 10% chance of winning the division, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, whose playoff probability model has simulated the remainder of the season 10,000 times.
According to ESPN BET, the Chiefs are also no longer favored to win the AFC West. Their +500 odds to win the division are the longest since 2015, two years before Mahomes joined the team.
“It’s going to be tough to get back into the division race,” Mahomes said. “The goal is to get to the playoffs and try to progress in that. We’ve got to learn as much as we can from this, knowing we’re going to have a great opponent.” [in the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts] coming to arrowhead [Stadium] Next week.
“We’re at a point where we have 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. Only 89 of those teams (9%) reached the postseason, and only two made it to the Super Bowl. The only team to win a Super Bowl was 2001 new England PatriotsThey were led by first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady.
“It’s just a one-week mentality,” linebacker nick bolton Said. “I mean, every week has to get to the point where it’s like playoff week. We’ve got to find a way to take it one game at a time.”
A poor decision by Mahomes in the third quarter made the Chiefs’ chances of defeating the Broncos more difficult. With the Chiefs in the red zone, instead of throwing the ball out of bounds after a scramble – which would have set up a short field goal for the kicker Harrison Butker – Mahomes tried to make an intermediate pass to the running back Eliza MitchellOnly for Broncos cornerbacks Jaquan McMillian To stop this.
On their ensuing possession, the Broncos capitalized by scoring their only touchdown.
“You can’t do that,” Mahomes said of his decision. “I didn’t throw it high enough. [McMillian] Jumped up and played a good game. I’ve made that throw before, but with the type of game we’re in, don’t put the ball in harm’s way. Score three points and move on to the next possession.”
All five of the Chiefs’ losses this season have come in one-score games (decided by eight points or less). Entering this season, the Chiefs had won 17 consecutive one-score games, including the playoffs, the longest streak in NFL history.
The Chiefs understand that, at some point, they may have to win a close game – or two or three – to clinch a playoff berth.
“When you’re playing good teams, whether it’s me making [play] Call ups or playing guys, you’ve got to do the right thing,” coach Andy Reid said. “You put guys in the right positions, and then when the opportunity comes, guys have to make plays. It’s both sides of the ball.”
One difference Sunday from the Chiefs’ previous four losses was that Mahomes was given the ball with four minutes remaining and a chance to lead the winning drive. But he never gained a first down or a yard. Mahomes’ final dropback, on third-and-10, ended with a sack by McMillian.
“That’s what you want, you want that opportunity at the end of the game,” Mahomes said. “I didn’t get there. I’ve been in that situation before. You get him a first down, it puts us in the driver’s seat. I didn’t get him there, and they came up with a good blitz on that third down. I didn’t give myself much of a chance.”
