KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When the Kansas City Chiefs returned as a team Tuesday coming off an emotional loss against Buffalo, coach Andy Reid emphasized the need to move on from the Bills loss and look forward.
“We brought the guys in yesterday and they understand that all our focus is straight ahead on the Patriots,” Reid said. “Every day that we have to practice for this game is important.”
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Reid were incensed after Sunday’s loss, which featured an offensive-offside call in the closing minutes that erased a possible game-winning touchdown.
Reid and Mahomes addressed the controversy and their reaction to it — Reid said the NFL should be embarrassed by the call, while Mahomes was caught yelling at officials and complaining about the call to Bills quarterback Josh Allen — on Monday.
But once Tuesday arrived and the team regrouped to begin film study in preparation for Sunday’s game at New England, Reid said Kansas City was resolved to leave the past in the past.
Asked Wednesday about the team’s level of frustration, Reid interrupted — politely — and said, “We’re not there; we’re moving on. That’s where we’re at. It’s happened. It’s done. You’ve got to go on.”
That includes wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who lined up in the neutral zone with his foot an inch or two over the line of scrimmage to draw the game-altering penalty.
Ironically, the infraction erased his own touchdown after Travis Kelce’s incredible cross-field throw after a 30-yard catch and run before firing a spiral to Toney, who did the rest.
“He’s in a good place,” Reid said of Toney. “Things happen, so you learn from it and you move on. That’s where we’re at.”
Mahomes, who had to be held back from officials on the sideline late in the game, said he’d apologized to Allen for the way he conducted himself after the game.
“It was definitely emotions talking when I was talking to Josh at midfield — to lose the football game, a tough football game in a tough way,” Mahomes said. “But I let it go on too long. He had nothing to do with it.”
Mahomes said he needs to “show better sportsmanship, tell him great game and keep it moving.”
“I talk to Josh a lot, so we’re all good,” he said. “But I’ll keep those conversations to ourselves.”
Allen confirmed that Mahomes apologized but said it was unnecessary.
Mahomes’ teammates also were in a forgiving mood.
“Any time you take a loss, there’s high emotions,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “We’re not used to losing and emotions can be very high, especially after a loss. But I think everybody’s mindset is right. We’ve got a competitive locker room.”
Heck, Jones had his own blowup with defensive line coach Joe Cullen on the sideline, which he downplayed.
“It’s been that way plenty of times,” Jones said. “I just hate that the camera caught it this time.”
Mahomes, who has put together a Hall of Fame-worthy and controversy-free career until Sunday's tirade sparked widespread criticism, said his desire to be a good role model — and the mea culpas issued this week — have nothing to do with PR.
“That’s not necessarily pressure of being the (face of the) franchise, that’s just the pressure of being a good person,” Mahomes said. “I try to act in a way that I’m a good role model, because I looked up to guys that were on this stage ever since I was a little kid running through the locker room. So, I’m just trying to be a good person. Obviously, I care and my emotions were shown on the football field, which they’ve been shown in good ways and obviously that wasn’t a good way.”
Now, it’s on to New England as Kansas City looks to put an ugly stretch that has featured four losses in the last six games, behind it.
“All I can do is go about business like I do every single week, try to be better and play the best football I can for this upcoming week,” Mahomes said. “The division is tight; the AFC is tight. We have to go out there and play our best football, try to get better this week and try to find a way to get a win.”
Jones said it’s not bad for the Chiefs to have to battle some adversity.
“Tough times make tough people,” Jones said. “We’re in a tough situation right now, coming off back-to-back losses ... (but) spirits are good.”
Kansas City (8-5), which has won six straight division titles, have a one-game lead in the AFC West over Denver (7-6).
Mahomes said the team seemed “locked in” during Wednesday morning’s walkthrough.
“Guys’ heads are in the right spot,” he said. “Everybody knows that if we can correct the minor details that we can win some of these football games that we’ve been in to the very end.”
The Patriots are 3-10 this season, but they are coming off a win against Pittsburgh and had three extra days to rest and gameplan for the noon kickoff, which was flexed from Monday Night Football.
Mahomes said he’s played Bill Belichick’s teams enough times to know nothing will come easy Sunday, regardless of the records.
“You think you know where to go with the ball before the snap, but he makes those adjustments week in and week out to take those (throws) away and make you get through your progressions and be perfect every play,” Mahomes said. “So, it will be a great challenge obviously for the offense and me especially.”
The Chiefs know they face a physical challenge against a run-oriented, defensive-minded Patriots team, but they also believe that they are close to a breakthrough — and winning solves a lot of ailments.
“We’re not far off where we want to be as a team,” Jones said. “You look at the games we’ve played, we’ve been right there mostly in every game.”
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