The Kansas City Chiefs had a rough 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and the atmosphere inside the locker room isn’t chill. After controlling the early stages and still falling to 6-6, quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t hold back, warning that their margin for error is gone.

In the postgame presser, Mahomes said they were still capable of more than what the record shows.

“Our ceiling is playing in the Super Bowl… We can beat anybody, but we’ve shown that we can lose to anybody. We have to be more consistent.”

Mahomes wanted everyone to hear it without excuses. With the AFC West already gone, Mahomes addressed the playoff math right away. He said they had no choice but to lock in for the last stretch.

“You gotta win every game now and hope that’s enough.” The Chiefs quarterback followed that by saying, “If we’re gonna make the playoffs, we’re gonna have to win ’em all.”

In the Dallas game, Mahomes completed 23 of 34 passes for 261 yards and tossed four touchdowns. Rashee Rice became his go-to target with 92 yards and two scores on eight catches. Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce added 106 yards between them, and Kelce grabbed a touchdown that briefly lifted the crowd.

The Chiefs started well with a 14-7 lead. However, Dallas answered and took a 17-14 edge into halftime. Later, the Chiefs jumped ahead by one, but the Cowboys punched back with a late surge. They stretched it to a two-score game and drained the clock until the final whistle.

The Chiefs now sit at a crossroads, and after Mahomes, head coach Andy Reid also made sure everyone inside that locker room understood it.

Andy Reid addressed the playoff chances

While the pressure keeps rising, Andy Reid is already shifting the mindset inside Arrowhead Stadium. He believes the Chiefs must treat every week like a must-win.

“We go into every week thinking that. In this business, you stress to get your game plan down, practice it, and then go out and do it, so there’s no days off on that. It’s competition, and you’re giving it your all, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from the guys now.”

Afterward, the attention moved to Patrick Mahomes. Reporters asked him how he and the Chiefs would “reset now.” Mahomes kept the answer simple.

“At the end of the day, you just gotta win every game and hope that’s enough. We’re gonna play a lot of good football teams coming up. If we’re gonna make the playoffs, we’re gonna have to win them all. That’s gonna be the mindset when we step into the building when we get back [home],” he said.

Now the standings make the picture harder. At 6-6 and trailing the Bills, Texans, and Jaguars, the Chiefs could slip even further if that trio wins in Week 13. The margin is thin. They know they hurt themselves against Dallas, and they know it cannot repeat if they want any real shot at sneaking into the postseason.