Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t hold back after his team blew a two-touchdown lead in their Monday Night Football loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Obviously, it sucks,” Mahomes, 30, told reporters after the 31-28 defeat on Monday, October 6. “You let a game slip away. It still sucks whenever you get a lead and you’re not able to hold it.”
Mahomes added, “We have the guys and we’ve executed at certain points in games and looked really good, but we crush ourselves with penalties and mistakes. We’ve done that to ourselves all season long. It’s been one guy here or there. In this league, it’s so close that those [moments] change games. We’ve got to be better. We’ve lost too many games already.
The Chiefs jumped ahead 14-0 early in the second quarter after forcing a goal-line fumble by Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and driving 97 yards the other way for a touchdown.
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However, the Jaguars stormed back behind a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Devin Lloyd and two rushing touchdowns from Lawrence, 26, including a one-yard score with 30 seconds left to seal the win.
The loss marked the Chief’s first defeat after leading by 14 or more points since Week 17 of the 2021 season in Cincinnati. The Chiefs had won 22 straight games when leading by 14 or more, the second-longest active streak in the NFL.
Each of the Chiefs’ three defeats this season have been by one score, a sharp contrast from 2024, when Kansas City won an NFL-record 11 one-score games on its way to another Super Bowl berth.
Despite Mahomes leading a late touchdown drive to briefly put Kansas City ahead 28-24, the defense couldn’t stop Lawrence’s final march.
“I thought multiple times we had him,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “We’ve just got to finish. Us, as a defensive line, we’ve got to be more disciplined on our rush lanes. We let Trevor get out multiple times, especially in the red zone. That’s on the D-line. I take that personal, the containment of the quarterback.”
Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit struggled to contain Lawrence, who scrambled for 53 rushing yards on eight carries.
“He can build up speed in a hurry, especially if he goes right down the middle of the defense,” Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton said. “We definitely mentioned it [in preparation last week]. We knew he could use his legs.”
Penalties also crushed Kansas City’s chances.The Chiefs committed 13 penalties for 103 yards, their most in a game since 2018. Cornerback Jaylen Watson’s pass interference on third-and-15 in the third quarter extended a Jaguars drive that ended in a touchdown, and another flag on safety Chamarri Conner set up Lawrence’s winning score from the one-yard line.
“I’ve just got to play better and not leave it in the ref’s hands,” Watson, 27, said. “Anytime the defense has a chance to go win the game, we want to win the game. It’s a bad feeling.”
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“Whether I agree with them or don’t agree with them, it doesn’t matter,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of the penalties. “They called them. And so you have that many penalties, you give up field position. You can out-stat them to death, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the score that matters, and we’ve got to take care of business there.”
Mahomes said the Chiefs’ problems are fixable, but the clock is ticking.
“We’ve got to find a way to play complete football,” he said. “We’ve got the talent, but talent doesn’t win games if you beat yourself.”
The Chiefs return to action Sunday, October 12 against the Denver Broncos.
