Patrick Mahomes stays optimistic despite Chiefs’ 1-2 start

Not many people had the Chiefs being 1-2 after three weeks, but here we are.

With the crushing 30-24 loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs find themselves looking up at everyone in the division for the first time since Week 6 of the 2015 season.

“This is unusual for us,” special teams coordinator Dave Toub stressed following the game. Toub took over the Chiefs’ post-game press duties with head coach Andy Reid en route to the hospital.

“I’m going to be honest — it’s a little bit of a crossroads for us, I think. We got great leadership and our guys are going to battle back. Our guys are going to battle back strong, and we’re going to have a great week of practice and clean it up. We have to clean up the game, clean up the turnovers, execute on the offensive side of the ball, create turnovers and stops on defense, play solid special teams and we’ll be back on track.”

This is the first time the Chiefs have lost consecutive games since losing to the Houston Texans back in Week 6 of the 2019 season. If you’re looking for a silver lining, the Chiefs ended up winning the Super Bowl that year.

However, those facts won’t mean anything this week. Expect the national headlines to portray the Chiefs as vulnerable, but even with that being the case, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is keeping a level head.

“I think we’re getting better. If you watched us, I think the offense played well, other than the turnovers,” Mahomes told. “I thought the defense stepped up and really kept us in the game for a long time there. I think we’re getting better as a unit. This game, it’s a tricky deal. If you don’t play your best football every single week, you’re going to lose. Every team has NFL players, every team is good. I think we’re getting better and we’ll find ourselves over time. With the guys we have in the locker room, I’m sure we’ll find ways to win.”

Losing to a division foe is always tough — especially at home, but there are 14 more games to go.

“Yeah obviously, everybody is, I’m not going to say down, but is not happy with how we played. When you take a loss to a division opponent at home, it’s not usually a good thing. We haven’t done a lot of that in my time here. So, it’s just how you respond. We have a long season ahead of us, it looks real dim right now, but if you can find a way to get better from this and find a way to win these games at the end of the games, we’ll be where we want to at the end of the season.”

After losing two straight — a game against the 1-1 Philadelphia Eagles on short rest next week may be exactly what the doctor ordered.