CBS analyst Tony Romo called Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes “a guy who’s never not played in the AFC Championship” as Sunday’s Kansas City-Buffalo clash reached its crescendo.
After Mahomes’ desperation pass for the end zone fell incomplete – cementing Bills 28, Chiefs 21 and sending KC to a pedestrian 5-4 – Mahomes offered his own truth.
Asked about envisioning a playoff rematch with the Bills, a frequent regular- and postseason rival, Mahomes said, “We’ve got to get there first.”
No question, the reigning conference champs face roadblocks in that department.
Around the time the drama concluded at the Bills’ Highmark Stadium, the Jacksonville Jaguars survived the Las Vegas Raiders’ two-point conversion attempt to prevail 30-29 in overtime.
That victory sent the Jaguars to 5-3 and put them in possession of the AFC’s No. 7 seed over the Chiefs behind a 31-28 win against Kansas City in Week 5.
You might recall Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence sealing that one with a 1-yard TD run with 23 seconds remaining moments after tripping.
KC found its feet over the next three weeks, handling NFC contender Detroit and throttling Las Vegas and Washington to move to 5-3 entering the trip to Buffalo.
Of course, 5-3 still isn’t up to snuff for the Chiefs in the Mahomes ERA (2017-), making 5-4 about as cringeworthy as those exchanges between Mahomes and Meghan Trainor in these new State Farm ads.
It’s a good thing for them that the Chiefs realize it.
“We’ve had great moments, we’ve had bad moments. We’ve got to be more consistent as a team,” said Mahomes, who completed 44.1% of his passes Sunday, falling under 50% for the first time in his career. “I’ve got to be more consistent as a quarterback. We’ve got to be able to battle.
“I mean, we’ve kind of been in a lot of these tight, close games in our history. But they’re not going our way now. So how can we deal with that adversity? How can we be better and learn from it? I mean, you can only learn from so many losses.”
Naturally, Chiefs haters are taking comfort in the situation. Kansas City is 0-4 in one-score games one season after earning 11 such victories.
Well, what do you know, the class know-it-all found his way into detention?
Kansas City enters its bye this week knowing a gauntlet awaits on the other side. The Chiefs visit AFC West-leading Denver (7-2) in Week 11 before hosting Indianapolis, also 7-2 and the conference’s top seed, the following week.
Indy will be coming off its own bye after facing Atlanta in Berlin. The Colts also are handling identity issues after stumbling in Pittsburgh in Week 9.
Make that self-deprecating Pittsburgh.
“We’re still the same group that stunk it up last week,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “That’s football.”
With wide receivers Rashee Rice (suspension) and Xavier Worthy (shoulder) returning in recent weeks, the Chiefs fancied themselves as AFC powers again.
There were shades of that against the Bills but also sequences at which to throw shade.
Kansas City can neither win nor lose during the bye. It had better emerge with a sense of urgency, though.
“It’s kind of like, ‘Got to do it now,’” Mahomes said. “There’s no easy game coming up, and there’s no more chances that we can really take losses.”
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