The gravity of the Kansas City Chiefs' situation is not lost on Patrick Mahomes. "We understand that we’ve gotta win. I think that’s obvious."
On Wednesday, the Chiefs quarterback appeared at the podium to answer media questions as the team began their practice and preparation to host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15. It's an actual must-win game after several contests that felt like they were similarly important in a regular season that has felt like a slow sinking of a once-brilliant ship.
Mahomes and the Chiefs are currently 6-7, sitting far outside the AFC playoff picture in 10th place. They're tied with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins in overall record and two full games behind the final wild card spot. That currently belongs to the Houston Texans, at 8-5, a team that just defeated the Chiefs and, thus, owns the tie-breaker advantage in case things come down to the wire.
At this stage, the Chiefs have to win every remaining game on the schedule, and even then, nothing is guaranteed. Some additional help is needed, but Mahomes can't control anything but what's in front of him. And he and his teammates are carrying that mindset forward.
Patrick Mahomes is maintaining a confident stance in the face of a very unlikely path to the postseason for the Chiefs in 2025.
"You have to just make sure you have a great day of practice," said Mahomes on Wednesday. "We had a great walkthrough we just came from, and now it’s just going into practice and having a great day of practice. Try to get some extra work in with the guys on the side, like I always do. And then when you’re in that practice, that work, you have conversations with guys and try to keep the right mindset.
"I haven’t had any looks of seeing guys down or anything like that. Obviously, you want to win, and guys hate losing, but at the end of the day, we know we have to handle our business first. We have to win the football games and then let the rest kinda handle itself."
In order to push through the outside noise decrying a lost season, Mahomes says the veterans in the locker room are going to be the most important voices. "We are in unprecedented territory, a place we haven’t been since I’ve been here. And so I think you lean on the guys that have kind of battled through adversity and that are on the other side. That’s Chris, Trav, all these guys that have won championships. It hasn’t always been pretty, but it’ll really test us to see what kind of character we are, and I think we’ve got the guys to do it."
As for his own mindset, confidence that he will win is hardwired and it's hard for him to think otherwise, despite the team's recent slide of four losses in their last five games. "It’s just kind of how I’m wired. I believe that this team can win any football game. But we have to come and show that. This is gonna be a great challenge for us and we understand that. We’ll have to have a great week of practice and try to prepare ourselves and try to win it on Sunday."
If nothing else, a late-season run toward meaningful football would make for an inspired end to an otherwise very frustrating season. And Mahomes wants to give his teammates every chance at such a narrative, no matter how unlikely.
"When I look at it now, I don’t know what the percentages are, but I know they’re not high. I think it’d be special if we could get to the playoffs and could make a run. So why not give ourselves a chance to do that? We have to start by winning football games, and that’s where we’ll start at."