The second news got out that Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, was sick, parallels to Michael Jordan began. In Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, Jordan’s “flu game” (or stomach illness game or hangover game according to tales throughout the years) led the Chicago Bulls to a 90-88 victory over the Utah Jazz, on way to his fifth NBA title.
Regardless of the ailment he was facing, his 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block were made for the annals of sports history. Mahomes saw this Week 8 showdown as crucial because the Chiefs’ 16-game winning run over the Denver Broncos was at stake.
“I just started feeling [Saturday night] but I bounced back pretty well in the morning,” Mahomes said on Sunday. “Just trying to do whatever I can to go out there and play my best football.” Both the Chiefs and their 28-year-old superstar quarterback struggled against the Broncos.
In the 24-9 defeat against the Broncos, Mahomes’ two interceptions and fumble were the highlight of the team’s five turnovers. Mahomes threw for 241 yards and completed 63% of his passes, but the offense still managed only 275 yards and zero touchdowns. He took 11 hits and was sacked three times, making him extremely uncomfortable in the pocket.
“Just trying to make something happen,” Mahomes said. We weren’t in a good position with the score, and then with the down and distance. I’m just trying to stir the pot over there. “Got caught too many times spinning [around in the pocket].” Our offensive line is doing everything they can to buy me time, so it’s evident that I need to find a way to escape the pocket and make a play downfield.
He denied that his condition affected his play. “Just stomach stuff, you know. It is what it is.” The Chiefs have never lost in any of the following three situations with Mahomes as their starting quarterback before:
- against the Broncos
- against an AFC West opponent on the road
- against teams that are multiple games under .500
“We didn’t execute the way we need to. I gotta go back and look at the things that I called. Not very good,” head coach Andy Reid said. Even though everyone is down after a defeat, Reid gave credit where credit was due and lauded Mahomes for his efforts.
The Chiefs had several good drives where they were able to advance the ball down the field, and Mahomes was able to make plays when the team was in a bind. Kansas City may have gotten back into the game if not for a couple crucial errors that occurred in the second half.
Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice dropped a wide-open throw on their lone third-quarter possession. Although Mahomes and receiver Justin Watson worked together to pick up a first down, the drive was halted when Mahomes missed a wide-open Watson on third down.
Mahomes fired an incomplete throw to an open Skyy Moore in the end zone on 4th and 2 from the Denver 27-yard line with 7:40 remaining and a 12-point deficit. The Chiefs’ lack of second-half possession (10 minutes) was mostly due to three key plays.
“Things happen,” Reid said. “You got to work it out, take it to heart, learn from it and move on.” Even while the rest of the squad seemed upset, Mahomes insisted on keeping faith in Rice and Moore. “They’re gonna know that I’m gonna keep firing it to them,” he said.
“It’s just who I am. I’m gonna keep firing it to the open guy and letting them make plays. And I trust those guys. It’s just we got to continue to get better and better because as the season goes on, we continue to play good teams, even better teams probably.”
“We got to be better because those little things, not just drops, but just little things add up. And the Broncos did a great job of making us be patient. And like I said, they had a great game plan and executed it and we didn’t execute in scoring points.”
With two plans now available to stop the Chiefs’ offense after their second defeat, the struggling offense will have a steep uphill climb on Sunday against the AFC East-leading Miami Dolphins and receiver Tyreek Hill, who is wreaking havoc on defenses that once sported their colors.
“We try to do whatever we can to bounce back. That’s all you can do. You got to learn from the mistakes that you made this game. Try to be better going into Germany this next week and kind of get the momentum back in our favor,” Mahomes said. When asked if this loss may have a domino effect on the club, the guy who is worth $500 million had three words to say: “Yes.” “It won’t be.”
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