The Kansas City Chiefs are officially in danger — and Patrick Mahomes knows it.
After a crushing 22–19 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the Chiefs have fallen to 5–5 and now sit on the brink of slipping out of the playoff picture entirely. For a franchise that has lived in the Super Bowl conversation for half a decade, the sudden slide is alarming. And Mahomes didn’t hide from it.
“We’re really talented and we’ve got great players, but it’s about being more consistent. I think it starts with me,” Mahomes admitted during his postgame press conference. “There are times where everything is clicking, and we’re moving the ball with ease. And then there are stretches where I miss a throw or I miss a protection call. We just haven’t been consistent enough to win games. It starts with me.”
Mahomes finished the day 29-of-45 for 276 yards, one touchdown and one interception — solid numbers overshadowed by key misses at key moments.
One of the defining plays came early, when Mahomes overshot a wide-open Xavier Worthy deep down the field. It was a miss that symbolized the Chiefs’ entire season.
“I’ve just got to make that throw,” Mahomes said bluntly. “The design was to hit Travis [Kelce], and he was wide open. But with how the safety was sitting and Xavier’s speed, I knew he’d have a shot. I’ve just got to give him a chance. I miss that one.”
Kansas City’s offense collapsed again late. Tied at 19 with 4:10 remaining, the Chiefs went three-and-out — twice. Mahomes threw back-to-back incompletions to Kelce on the first drive before getting sacked on third-and-10. The Broncos took over, and Bo Nix marched Denver into field-goal range, where Wil Lutz drilled the 35-yard winner as time expired.
Now, the Chiefs face an unfamiliar reality: Denver sits atop the AFC West at 9–2, the Chargers hold second at 7–4, and Kansas City suddenly needs help just to re-enter the playoff race.
“It’s going to be tough to get back in the division race,” Mahomes said. “The goal now is to get into the playoffs and try to make a run. We’ve got to learn from this fast, because we’ve got a great opponent coming into Arrowhead next week. We’re at the point where we’ve got to find a way to win games.”
For the first time in the Mahomes era, the Chiefs aren’t the hunted — they’re the ones scrambling to survive.
