The Kansas City Chiefs' 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving could prove to be very costly.
The loss dropped the reigning AFC champions to 6-6 and was a crushing blow to the team’s playoff chances. Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes said the team has to win out and hope it’s enough for them to return to the playoffs.
"You’ve got to win every game now – and hope that’s enough," Mahomes said postgame at his press conference.
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"We're going to play a lot of good football teams coming up. If we're going to make the playoffs, we're going to have to win them all. That's got to be the mindset when we step into the (training facility) when we get back."
The Chiefs’ upcoming schedule is challenging. Their next game is against the Houston Texans, who have the NFL’s second-best defense in points per game (16.5; the Los Angeles Rams have the best scoring defense at 16.3 points per game). The Texans are 6-5, and next week’s matchup will be pivotal for the Wild Card race.
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They then play the Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. The Chargers (7-4) and Broncos (9-2) are both ahead of the Chiefs in the AFC West.
"We can beat anybody, but we've shown that we can lose to anybody," Mahomes said.
"We've got to be more consistent."
Mahomes played well in the loss to the Cowboys, as he completed 23 of 34 passes for 261 yards while throwing four touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding 30 yards on the ground, but it wasn’t enough.
The last time the Chiefs missed the playoffs was in 2014. They will need to get hot down the stretch if they hope to play meaningful football once again in January.
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