“We got to learn fast. We’re playing the reigning Super Bowl champs next week,” was Patrick Mahomes’ ominous warning after what can only be described as a flashback in real time. Losing 27-21 to the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil, it was almost the same as what had transpired in the Super Bowl LIX: The Kansas City Chiefs failed to reach the end zone before halftime for the second straight game. Now it’s not a pattern Andy Reid is willing to accept. That was amply evident in his words as he openly handed the blame in the post-game conversation.

According to journalist Charles Goldman on X, “Chiefs HC Andy Reid says he expects the team to clean up the penalties; they didn’t do a good enough job there.” But that’s not all, as the head coach further told reporters, “We can learn from this as we move forward. I’ve got to make sure I get my team in a better state there coming out, playing with more emotion. We were a little flat that first half, and that cost us.”

“The first half we were off a bit, and then the second half it picked up a bit. I’ve got to make sure that we start faster. I’ve got to make sure that we come out with better emotion. I thought they did a better job in that area,” he then noted. And he’s not wrong. Coming off as the fourth-least penalized team last season, during this game alone, the Chiefs committed 10 penalties—including seven first-half penalties for 48 yards—costing them 71 yards. Out of these, a staggering four were by offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor for two holding calls and false starts each. Unfortunately, other mistakes also ran rampant. Take the Xavier Worthy debacle, for example.

The wide receiver had to leave the game early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury after colliding with tight end Travis Kelce while running a route. He did not return to the game. Hollywood Brown, on the other hand, also dropped an easy pass and then failed to reach upfield during a separate play, resulting in the team facing a fourth down.

Yet, true to their legendary form, Mahomes & Co. engineered a furious second-half surge and nearly stole a victory from the jaws of defeat. Mahomes, evading a certain sack, rolled to his left and launched a 39-yard pass to Tyquan Thornton, a pass that seemed to defy physics and re-ignite the entire team’s belief. The comeback felt inevitable, a story we’d all seen before. Unfortunately, the Chargers were clearly better, as admitted by Patrick Mahomes.

“They came out with more energy than we did. Their defense and our offense. We didn’t execute…And obviously, we didn’t play good enough in the first half,” Mahomes said. “I thought we had energy at practice yesterday and all throughout the week, but if you don’t come out with the right mindset, you get beat. The Chargers came out with the right mindset, and they beat us. They definitely came out with more energy than we did. In this league, everybody’s too good for you to not match the energy of our opponent, so I think we learned a valuable lesson.”

“It’s a learning moment, especially for the young guys on the team. We’re gonna get everybody’s best and we have to play up to that standard if we want to win football games. I felt like we didn’t play to that standard (Friday), everybody – offense, defense and special teams. But credit to the Chargers. They had a great plan, came in played great football and beat us. Now we have to learn from that knowing that next week is gonna be just as tough,” he concluded.

Well, the journey is certainly not going to be easy. Especially with no clear update on Worthy yet.

Collision course: Worthy’s setback leaves Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs searching for spark

The update from Coach Reid was cautious, offering, “We’ll know tomorrow once we get back. We’ll do an MRI.” That MRI will now be the focal point of the Chiefs’ week. The initial medical outlook, as detailed by sports medicine expert Deepak Chona, MD, is concerning. He tweeted, “#Chiefs Xavier Worthy – High concern for shoulder dislocation. Suspect MRI coming. Re-injury risk = high with these. In-season return depends on personal risk tolerance + structural damage extent. 1-2 wks is possible in some cases.”

Without that vertical threat, the Chargers’ defense could focus on containing Mahomes’ magic, and for a half, it worked. Justin Herbert played a near-flawless game, racking up 318 yards and three touchdowns, outdueling the former MVP in his own element.

Having said that, as the Chiefs fly home, the focus is twofold: healing the body of their youngest star and mending the mindset of a dynasty that, for one week at least, looked startlingly human.