Mahomes: Chiefs are ‘kind of’ in a must-win situation heading into Monday Night game

The Chiefs are 6-4 heading into their Monday Night matchup up with the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers, and it feels like the walls are closing in on the potential Super Bowl contenders.

They are fresh off of a brutal 35-32 loss to the Tennessee Titans, who similarly had their backs against the wall last Sunday. The Titans needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, and the Chiefs may soon be facing the same situation.

“We knew that going into that game that they (the Titans) were going to be a team that had a lot of talent, and they were going to fight,” said quarterback Patrick Mahomes after practice Thursday. “They were in the same situation we’re kind of in now, where they needed to win the game.”

With only a half-game lead in the AFC West, the Chiefs have little room for error. A loss to the Chargers would not only shrink the short lead they have on the second-place Oakland Raiders but would also give Los Angeles the boost they need to have a chance at the AFC West crown.

“Our focus is on the game,” said head coach Andy Reid. “We think they’re all important, but obviously it’s separated in divisions, so we think that’s important...you want to make sure that you play well in the division.”

The Chiefs made plenty of mistakes in their loss to the Titans and several of the other games they’ve played this season, so much so, that Mahomes believes the team has yet to play at its full potential.

“As an offense and as a defense and as a special teams, we didn’t execute at a high enough level,” Mahomes said of the Titans game. “We all had chances to win that game, and we understand that now we’re kind of at that point where we’re in a battle now. We’re going to go out there every single day and make sure that we can execute at a higher level because we haven’t been this whole season and playing the way we know how to play.”

Maybe it isn’t possible for the Chiefs to play at their full potential on Monday given the several injuries to their offensive and defensive lines, but it is likely that they’ll play like a team with it’s back against the wall. Playing with that extra determination and grit that only comes when you’re put in a desperate situation may exactly what the team needs to get out of its recent slump.