“When you clinch a playoff spot…”: Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes urges team to clean up mistakes after record-breaking performance against Raiders | NFL News

The Kansas City Chiefs narrowly escaped a possible surprise against them Las Vegas Raidersand secured a 19-17 win at Arrowhead Stadium. While the win solidified their spot in the playoffs, the team’s performance raised concerns about their ability to dominate in the games’ crucial moments. And Patrick MahomesAlthough his performance set a new record, he uttered few words in front of his teammates.

Mahomes’ Chiefs overtake Raiders, but concerns remain

The Chiefs, now 11-1, have had five of their wins this season decided in the final moments, a troubling pattern for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. However, Patrick Mahomes provided a bright spot by etching his name deeper into franchise history. With one touchdown pass during the game, Mahomes surpassed Len Dawson and became the Chiefs’ all-time leader in touchdown passes. Dawson, a Hall of Famer, scored 237 touchdowns in 183 games between 1962 and 1975. Mahomes surpassed this milestone in just 108 games, cementing his place as one of the most productive quarterbacks of the modern era.

Reflecting on the game, Mahomes acknowledged the team’s struggles, particularly in the fourth quarter when the Raiders briefly took the lead. Addressing the crucial fumble recovery incident that sealed the win, Mahomes noted: “Yeah, I didn’t see that. But yeah, obviously a big stop in a big moment. Gave us a win there. But yes, we need to perform better in the 4th quarter, so it’s not happening.” His comments say a lot about the urgency to fix mistakes and improve execution, especially in moments when the stakes are high .

“Yes, there are just too many mistakes. At the end of the day I felt like there were times where we were moving the ball offensively. Didn’t execute in the red zone, didn’t execute enough in the red zone. But too many mistakes. We have to clean this up if we want to get where we want to go.”
The Chiefs’ focus now shifts to maintaining momentum as they aim for a historic three-peat. With strong contenders like the Detroit Lions (10-1) and Buffalo Bills (9-2) in the playoffs, the road ahead won’t be easy. Addressing concerns about close results, Mahomes remained optimistic: “Not necessarily. I mean, if you’re going to secure a spot in the playoffs, your first goal is to get into the playoffs and give yourself a shot at the Super Bowl. But we know we still have a long way to go. We have to continue to work on getting better and continue to go into the playoffs as a better team.”
“It keeps you hungry. You’re not happy with where we are, even though we’re winning football games, and that’s why we know we have to get better. I think everyone in the locker room knows we have to get better, but we want to go out there and do that and prove that.”
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The Chiefs have an eight-day break before facing the Chargers on Dec. 8, a crucial matchup in which they will refine their playoff strategy. Mahomes’ 306-yard performance against the Raiders is a reminder of his abilities, but the Chiefs must clean up their mistakes to solidify their Super Bowl aspirations.