Since Patrick Mahomes became the Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback, he has led his team to at seven consecutive AFC Conference title games.
But staring down a 6-6 record following a 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13, Mahomes and the Chiefs have essentially a coin flip’s chance at making the postseason.
The Chiefs mettle has been tested with injuries ravaging the roster — but the mental battle appears to be their biggest yet.
Mahomes embodied the difficult emotions left lingering after a loss at AT&T Stadium, just two hours from his hometown in Texas.
After throwing for 261 yards and four touchdown behind a backup offensive line a Herculean effort that fell short, Mahomes’ frustration was palpable.
“We can beat anybody, but we’ve shown that we can lose to anybody, and so we’ve got to be more consistent,” Mahomes said in his postgame news conference.
The Athletic’s Jesse Newell reported that Mahomes was angry, citing the missed opportunities that have continued to define the Chiefs’ season.
“No, this wasn’t a remorseful Mahomes. This was a ticked-off one. Yes, the Chiefs might be more talented than they were a year ago, when they ran through the regular season at 15-2 and made the Super Bowl,” Newell wrote. “And their ceiling could be even higher, given the moments of success that look oh-so-easy at certain points each game.”
The winning culture in Kansas City has planted the expectations that the Chiefs’ ceiling is always the Super Bowl.
However, this year’s team can’t seem to get out of its own way. According to Newell, the Chiefs’ 10 penalties for 119 yards was the highest mark by the team in the past five seasons.
Kansas City has lost three of its past four games and is 1-6 in single-score games this season. ESPN’s Power Index projects the Chiefs to have a 47% of making the postseason.
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