For 10 games, there was little bad to take with the good from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The touchdown passes and points piled up along with the victories, with mistakes held to minimum.
The equation changed a bit in the previous game. In the 54-51 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week, Mahomes matched a career best with six touchdown passes and his 478 yards were 103 more than hed thrown in a NFL game.
But the turnovers mounted. When the final two Chiefs possessions ended with interceptions, Mahomes total on the night reached five giveaways: three picks and two lost fumbles.
With more than a week to process the outcome, Mahomes had a better understanding of where things went wrong, and beginning with Sundays game at the Oakland Raiders can continue to test coach Andy Reids assertion repeated a few times this season.
One thing about Pat, Reid said. He doesnt make the same mistake twice. Im not worried about that.
So what went wrong in Los Angeles?
Mahomes has been refreshingly honest about plays that did and didnt work this season. On the strip sacks, the first thought from Mahomes was to credit the defender, tackle Aaron Donald.
First off, the guy made great plays, Mahomes said. He swatted directly on the ball both times.
One resulted in a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. Donald is the NFLs top defensive lineman, according to Pro Football Focus. He leads the NFL with 15 sacks, and he is not an end or outside linebacker but an interior lineman.
Still, Mahomes wore his share of the blame for the fumbles.
In the pocket I usually keep two hands on the ball, Mahomes said. He got me at the perfect time I was trying to escape. You have to be secure with the ball. You cant lose it.
I havent been strip sacked a lot, but at the same time, Im going to try and improve on just keeping two hands on the ball even when I do try to break the pocket.
The most damaging of Mahomes three interceptions occurred late in the third quarter. Linebacker Samson Ebukam stepped in front of a short pass intended for tight end Demetrius Harris and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. On the play, Tyreek Hill was open in the flat and a moment of indecision cost Mahomes.
You just have to be decisive, Mahomes said. I was kind of looking at Tyreek and I saw Harris open up and instead of just ripping the ball, I was indecisive with the throw. …You have to eliminate those when you want to beat good teams.
One that bothered Mahomes the most came near the end. The Chiefs, down by three, had driven to the Rams 48 and were closing in on field-goal range. Mahomes loaded up for a deep attempt. The attempt was disrupted by Ebukam and the underthrown ball was intercepted by Marcus Peters.
