Mistakes were piling up again. Flags were flying, drives were stalling, and the Chiefs looked like they might let another one slip away. But Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City get the job done. A 22-9 win over the Giants gave the City of Fountains its first victory of the season. Chiefdom breathed a sigh of relief.

After the game, Andy Reid opened with some relief of his own. “Really don’t have any injuries… good win to get, in particular when you haven’t had one,” Reid said. He admitted the second quarter was rough but praised how his guys “really came together and played well” in the second half. He pointed to Nick Bolton’s 14 tackles and the front seven’s pressure as key moments that flipped momentum.

Reid didn’t hesitate to highlight his quarterback either. “Pat had some really good things he did out there,” he said. Mahomes went 22-for-37 for 224 yards and a touchdown, including a wild fourth-quarter play where he ripped the ball out of Bobby Okereke’s hands. His 33-yard strike to Tyquan Thornton set up Kareem Hunt’s one-yard run that sealed it. “Thornton, great to get him involved… it all starts up front,” Reid added.

The Chiefs’ coach also showed respect for the other side. “That (Giants) defensive line… that’s as good as there is in this league,” Reid said. He also credited Brian Daboll for building around strong personnel and noted that Russell Wilson plus a young quarterback gives New York options moving forward. He reminded everyone, “The margin between winning and losing is so small.”

In the end, the Chiefs avoided disaster. This was their first win of the season, saving them from what would have been their first 0-3 start since 2011. “It was important to take a step forward,” Reid said on post-game. For Chiefdom, it wasn’t perfect, but it was a start — and that’s all that mattered on Sunday night. But what does Mahomes feel about this win?

Mahomes breaks down mistakes and magic in first Chiefs win

While the mood has changed from last week, the Chiefs looked shaky early, and even Patrick Mahomes admitted he didn’t help matters. “I kept throwing the ball backwards,” he joked. One of those mistakes could’ve turned into a disaster, but he scooped it up and kept firing. Despite the rough patches, Mahomes steadied the ship and guided Kansas City to the win over the Giants at MetLife. For Chiefdom, it was a sigh of relief after weeks of frustration.

Later, Mahomes broke down one of his key throws. He explained they expected man coverage and had a play ready for it. Buying time was the hard part against that Giants front, but his receiver made it work. “A tremendous catch by him… and securing it so we can score a touchdown,” Mahomes said. He admitted it wasn’t the easiest ball to grab, but it was the right play at the right time.

On another big completion, Mahomes explained it was a dual read against man or zone. Once he saw man, the route adjusted, and his guy won the matchup. Rolling out the other way, Mahomes just put the ball up and trusted his receiver. The execution wasn’t perfect, but the connection turned into another crucial gain.

Mahomes also pointed out what changed from the first half to the second. “We just executed better,” he said. Early drives moved well until penalties and sloppy mistakes killed momentum. By the second half, the Chiefs cleaned things up and finished with touchdowns instead of settling for long field goals. For him, that was the difference.

One of the game’s biggest swings came when Mahomes recovered his own mistake. He knew it looked ugly, but fighting to keep that ball saved a sure Giants touchdown. “That’s what you’ve got to do in this game… whenever you make a mistake, you’ve got to still leave it all on the line,” he said. That grit kept the Chiefs alive long enough to finish the job.