The Chiefs sit at 5-5 after Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, and it just feels a bit strange. The last time Kansas City was 5-5 was back in 2015, but the situation was different. A decade ago, they were on the rise after a rough 1-5 start. This time, even with Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs can’t finish close games and have dropped all five of their one-score matchups. And now, Andy Reid is doing what he does best…trying to spark a belief and get the team back on track.

“What can you do? You can get yourself ready to play Indianapolis… You can take care of today, tomorrow, and the following day. Let’s start there,” AtoZSports’ Charles Goldman quoted Andy Reid.

The Colts are arguably the best team in the NFL right now. Though the defense has struggled by allowing 327.6 yards per game, it is the offense that has kept the game running.

The offense of Indianapolis finds itself at the top of the league by scoring the maximum yards per game (396.9). With defensive weapons like Chamarri Connor and Chris Jones, Reid’s Chiefs can really pull this off. Also, the Chiefs are a much better team at home. They have won 4 out of 5 games on their home turf. Their lone loss came in week 2 against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Patrick Mahomes also has to step up and get back to the elite level for which he is known. Mahomes ranks fourth in the NFL for the most yards by a quarterback (2,625). Fans are looking forward to him taking charge and lifting the team, something Mahomes could do against Denver.

Patrick Mahomes addresses the tough loss against Denver

“It’s tough to get back in the division race, but at the end of the day, the goal is to get into the playoffs and try to make a run at it. And all you can focus on is next week,” said Mahomes. “We got to learn from this one as much as possible, knowing that we’re gonna get a great opponent coming into Arrowhead this next week. We’re kind of at that point where we’ve got to find a way to win football games, and we’ve got to keep moving forward. That’s what this league’s all about.”

Mahomes not only asked everyone to step up but also displayed brutal honesty and found someone to blame.

“We haven’t been consistent enough to win football games,” he said, “but it starts with me.”

The 30-year-old quarterback delivered one of his modest performances of the season with a QBR of 56.4. Averaging 6.1 yards, Mahomes was even sacked three times. This was the fourth time in the season and the third straight game in which he was sacked three times. Not to forget that costly interception by the Broncos’ cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian in the red zone in the third quarter. Although one positive takeaway from the game for Mahomes was helping tight end Travis Kelce become the Chiefs’ all-time touchdown scorer (84), surpassing former running back Priest Holmes.

Now, when they host the Colts this Sunday, both Mahomes and Reid have to step up in a leadership role and push the team towards their 11th consecutive playoff run.