The Kansas City Chiefs‘ recent loss to the Buffalo Bills dealt a major blow to the team’s confidence. It also turned out to be a disappointing moment for the star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, as the game marked one of his worst performances in the last 9 years.

The week 9 game against the Bills unfolded a shocking reality for head coach Andy Reid, as Mahomes was able to complete just 44% of his passes. The number turned out to be historically the lowest as he could succeed with just 15 passes out of the 34 attempts throughout. Among the failed passes, one that had the wide receiver Travis Kelce wide open in his position turned out to be outrageous.

Addressing the unexpected outcome, the Chiefs quarterback admitted to having evident room for improvement. “Situationally, we’ve got to be better. We had a few of those where we didn’t execute at a high enough level, and that’s why we got the loss,” Mahomes said.

Patrick Mahomes’ rough outing on Sunday, which saw him post the lowest completion percentage of his career, stemmed largely from Kansas City’s inability to establish the run. With Isiah Pacheco sidelined, the Chiefs’ ground game sputtered, managing just 79 total rushing yards, including five from a Mahomes scramble. Averaging under four yards per carry (3.95), Kansas City found itself in far too many second- and third-and-long situations, forcing Mahomes to shoulder the offense against a defense ready for it. For a team with Super Bowl ambitions, that one-dimensional approach won’t hold up against top contenders like Buffalo.

However, the head coach, Andy Reid, came up with a dissimilar opinion on the story. He said it was his job to put his players in better positions and acknowledged he didn’t do that well enough. By owning that responsibility, Reid took the heat off Mahomes, despite the quarterback having an off game. This was mainly to help Mahomes stay focused and supported rather than burdened by blame.

Travis Kelce was relatively quiet in the Chiefs’ loss to the Bills, finishing with four receptions for 66 yards and a two-point conversion. While he remained a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes in key moments, there was a particular moment in the game where Mahomes completely missed Kelce.

While it was something that the fans weren’t expecting ahead of a tight schedule, their disappointment was quite visible on social media discussions.

Wide-open Kelce ignored, and Chiefs fans are fuming

The post-match scenes turned seriously against Patrick Mahomes. Fans’ wrath came on the moment when the Chiefs’ drive died at the 1-yard line after three straight misses. Buffalo stuffed Kareem Hunt on first down, Patrick Mahomes failed to see a wide-open Travis Kelce for a first down.

Reacting to a video shared on the NFL’s official X account, a fan expressed regret about the possibilities that Kelce could’ve unlocked if Mahomes spotted his wide-open position. “Kelce wide open for the first down and potentially more,” she wrote. The blame fell heavily on Mahomes as Kelce did his job well by finishing with 4 catches for 66 yards (team high).

The Chiefs were facing a key third down when Mahomes missed an open Travis Kelce streaking across the field. A fan watching the replay didn’t hold back, saying, “kelce wide open for an easy first down like what we doin bro.” The play turned into another stalled drive and more heat on Mahomes for not seeing his top target.

The incident was a bitter pill to swallow for every Chiefs supporter. A fan expressed frustration over Mahomes’ frequent errors, saying, “Again. Kelce wide open for a first down.” With five seconds left in the quarter, Kelce was uncovered in the flat and ready to pick up the conversion. This added more to Kansas City’s troubles, converting just 3 of 13 third-downs.

The offense stalled in the red zone and didn’t convert a first down that could’ve shifted momentum. A fan put it bluntly, saying, “Kelce wide open as usual and would have easily had a 1st down.” This was because Mahomes’ numbers in the recent game were the lowest.

The Chiefs were still within striking distance heading into halftime, but a missed scoring chance resulted in a major hit. A fan ranted, “3rd & 10 with plenty of time left, only down one score, Kelce wide open for the first, and what does Mahomes do? THROWS IT INTO QUADRUPLE COVERAGEEEEEEEEE.” According to coach Andy Reid, the offense failed to finish strong as the team settled for field goals when touchdowns were needed.

With these and several other comments on a similar note, the fans made their disappointment with the Chiefs’ quarterback clear. As the upcoming schedule places them against the Broncos and then the Colts, it remains to be seen if the recent dip results in a direct uptrend.