The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ pursuit of perfection got here to an finish in Week 11, when the Buffalo Payments handed them a 30-21 loss that dropped them to 9-1 on the season. Whereas the loss additionally snapped the crew’s 15-game profitable streak, quarterback Patrick Mahomes believes it may be a chance for his teammates to enhance as they enter the season’s stretch run.
“You need to use it as gasoline,” Mahomes informed reporters on Sunday night. “That’s an excellent soccer crew, so it’s nothing to hold your head [about]. We really feel like we will play higher, so we’ll get again to work and attempt to use this as a spark to be a greater soccer crew ultimately.
“The undefeated factor was cool, however that’s not our final aim. So we’ll maintain constructing in direction of that.”
In contrast to earlier video games this season, Kansas Metropolis’s errors — on either side of the ball —proved an excessive amount of for the crew to beat.
Mahomes threw two pricey interceptions. Considered one of them arrange a Buffalo landing drive, whereas the opposite sealed the Payments’ victory on Kansas Metropolis’s closing offensive play. In the meantime, the Chiefs’ protection struggled in vital moments, permitting Buffalo to transform 9-of-15 third downs — together with a number of in long-yardage conditions.
However the recreation’s defining play got here late within the fourth quarter. With simply over two minutes left, Buffalo elected to go for it on fourth-and-2 whereas main 23-21. If it failed, it will have given the Chiefs the chance for a game-winning drive. However Payments quarterback Josh Allen scrambled 26 yards for a landing — successfully ending the sport.
“They’re an excellent crew,” head coach Andy Reid mentioned of the Payments. “When you have a couple of errors in there, they will capitalize on it. For those who maintain battling, usually good issues will occur. However they did a pleasant job on that final drive. We’ve bought to care for enterprise on these.”
So for the primary time all season, Kansas Metropolis couldn’t summon the late-game magic that has carried them to victories in tight contests. Mahomes admitted that the crew could have grown too snug in counting on clutch moments.
“I feel greater than something, there was only a confidence that we have been going to make it occur on the finish of video games,” he acknowledged. “At any time when video games have been shut, they will go a method — or a man like Josh could make a play after which the sport is over.
“So I’m simply looking for methods to win video games by not at all times only one rating. Discovering methods to have extra urgency all through your entire recreation will likely be vital for us going into this subsequent week.”
Regardless of the loss, there have been a couple of shiny spots for Kansas Metropolis — notably on offense. Though his typical big-name playmakers didn’t produce as a lot, Mahomes bought the ball to 11 completely different gamers — together with large receiver Xavier Worthy and tight ends Noah Grey and Peyton Hendershot.
“I believed offensively, we did an ideal job of spreading the soccer round,” Mahomes famous. “Xavier got here out scorching, making performs. Hopefully, we will maintain him extra concerned all through the whole thing of the sport — and that goes with me giving him possibilities. Different guys stepped up. Noah [had] two touchdowns. Peyton [had] the catch down within the crimson zone. You’ve bought to have that — and I feel that’s one thing we will construct on, in addition to simply getting your entire offense going.
“You see after we’re rolling, we’re onerous to cease. We simply must have consistency all through your entire recreation.”
With Sunday’s loss, the Chiefs prolonged their common season dropping streak towards the Payments to 4 video games. There’s, nevertheless, a silver lining: Kansas Metropolis is 3-0 towards Buffalo within the playoffs since 2021. These two groups anticipate to see one another once more within the postseason, in order that’s one thing to remember.
“On the finish of the day, that’s a very good soccer crew,” declared Mahomes. “It’s going to take your greatest soccer to beat nice soccer groups — and we didn’t play our greatest soccer in the present day. They went on the market and beat us. That’s simply the way it rolls within the NFL.
“All of the respect to them. That’s going to be an excellent soccer crew — that we’ll most likely see once more.”
