Patrick Mahomes Doesn’t Waste Time Planning For Eagles as Chiefs QB Condemn Mistakes Against Chargers

Early in the fourth quarter in São Paulo, Patrick Mahomes went airborne, body parallel to the turf, and still managed to sling a 12-yard dart to JuJu Smith-Schuster. It was the kind of “only Mahomes” moment that makes it to the highlights and stays there. But one play couldn’t cover for what became a long night against the Chargers.

Justin Herbert was just too good on the night he schooled KC’s defense. He threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns while even scrambling for 35 more… Including a 19-yard backbreaker before the two-minute warning. Mahomes put up 258 yards and two scores of his own (one through the air and one on the ground). But the Chiefs sputtered in key moments. Missed connections earlier and a failed drive in crunch time left them with a 27-21 defeat. This wasn’t a fluke or a self-inflicted collapse. But it’s for all to see and follow, the Chargers flat-out outplayed them.

Mahomes didn’t waste time looking back. “I thought they did a good job of kind of taking away some of our quick throws and some of our throws down the field,” he explained. “I thought we adjusted well in the second half, obviously. But if I can hit some of those throws early, it kind of loosens up the defense.”

So, KC’s #15 is learning from the missteps of week 1. The message, though, was bigger than mechanics. “Teams are too good in this league. And so this is a big lesson for us, a division opponent, someone that’s going to be there at the end of the year. But we’re going to have to learn fast. We’re playing the reigning Super Bowl champions next week.”

And that’s where the ghost of Super Bowl LIX hangs in the air. As Mahomes rightly pointed out: “It’s not going to be any easier.” Guess what? The Eagles are fresh off a Week 1 win over Dallas. A 24-20 scrap. Jalen Carter made the headlines. But Jalen Hurts should be the one haunting Spags and his men’s night until week 2.

But going into that game, the narrative is already clear amongst the fans: Philly did what KC couldn’t – finish. Now, Mahomes heads into a rematch knowing those missed chances against the Chargers can’t carry over. Against the Eagles, one wasted drive might be all it takes.

Patrick Mahomes didn’t hold back on laying down the shortcomings

First game of the season. First loss. That is uncommon for the Chiefs, who were 9-0 last season. And Patrick Mahomes knows the weight. So, he cut through the noise with blunt honesty. “Uh, it wasn’t good enough. I think just in general, they came out with more energy than we did. Our defense and our offense. So, we didn’t execute. I missed some throws down the field, and obviously, we didn’t play good enough in the first half.” Kansas City adjusted late, but Mahomes admitted those early misses stalled the offense before it ever found rhythm.

That rhythm was further disrupted by injuries. Rookie Xavier Worthy exited after just three snaps with a shoulder injury, colliding with Travis Kelce, who himself was largely quiet until a fourth-quarter touchdown. With Rashee Rice suspended and Jalen Royals sidelined, the Chiefs’ passing options were paper-thin. Mahomes still tipped his cap to Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Taekwon for stepping up, but the game plan was already frayed. “It wasn’t good enough,” he said again. “We’ve got to be better from the get-go.”

Still, Mahomes showed why the Chiefs stayed alive as long as they did. He ran for 57 yards and a touchdown, lowering his shoulder into defenders and even delivering a highlight scramble-and-sling to Marquise Brown for 49 yards on fourth down. “Sometimes you just got to do something to jump-start the team,” he said. “I wasn’t in the mood to be running out of bounds.”

It was vintage Mahomes improvisation, but even he couldn’t overcome the penalties, blown coverages, and missed assignments that defined the night. The mistakes, Mahomes knows, won’t cut it with the Eagles looming. “It’s a learning moment, especially for the young guys,” he said. “We’re going to get everybody’s best, and we have to play up to that standard if we want to win.”

The Chargers exposed cracks that Philadelphia is more than capable of widening. For all the second-half sparks, Kansas City left Brazil 0-1 and staring straight at a rematch with the team that embarrassed them in New Orleans.