Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
I
t has seldom happened since he became the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback in 2018, but in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs lost because of Patrick Mahomes.
Between the final two quarters of regulation and overtime, Cincinnati scored 17 points. Meanwhile, Kansas City only scored three points in that same timeframe. In the first half, Mahomes completed 18-of-21 pass attempts for 220 yards and three touchdowns. But in the second half, he completed 8-of-18 pass attempts and threw two interceptions.
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While there were plenty of other factors that played into Kansas City’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bengals were able to kick the game-winning field goal in overtime because of an interception by Mahomes. So, the blame will be put on him.
That’s why after the game the Chiefs’ star quarterback even admitted the loss fell on his shoulders.
Mahomes Blames Himself for Loss to Bengals
“Yeah, they just had a spy on me for the most part. I usually do a good job of getting around that guy, but they had a good game plan. They were doing a lot of similar stuff in the first half,” Mahomes said during his postgame press conference.
“We were just executing at a higher level, and they stayed with it. They fought and that’s a good football team, but it takes a lot of fight to stay in a game whenever you’re down like that, but I’ve got to be better. When you’re up 21 to three at one point in the game, you can’t lose it. I put that on myself.”
Chiefs Lost to Bengals in Heartbreaking Fashion
The Chiefs’ offense hit the ground running in the AFC Championship Game. Kansas City’s first three offensive possessions resulted in touchdowns, which gave them a 21-10 lead at halftime. However, Cincinnati climbed back into the game, scoring 20 unanswered points, which started with a touchdown in the second quarter along with consecutive possessions for the Chiefs right before and after halftime that resulted in zero points scored.
The Chiefs were then put in a situation where they needed to score at least three points on their final offensive drive of regulation to avoid elimination, which they did with a 44-yard field goal from Harrison Butker.
After winning the overtime coin toss, Mahomes was intercepted on a deep ball to Tyreek Hill on 3rd & 10. That put the Bengals in a position to win the game via a touchdown or field goal. After nine plays and 42 yards gathered by Cincinnati’s offense on the ensuing drive, kicker Evan McPherson sealed the victory for the Bengals by making a 31-yard field goal.
EVAN MCPHERSON SENDS CINCY TO THE SUPER BOWL. #NFLPlayoffs #RuleTheJungle
Mahomes finished the game completing 26-of-39 pass attempts for 275 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing two interceptions. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow completed 23-of-38 pass attempts for 250 yards and two touchdowns, and also had one interception.
“There was a few misreads here and there. There were guys that were open that I didn’t hit it at the right time, or I passed up on something shorter for something I wanted deeper down the field,” Mahomes explained.
“When you’re playing a good team and you don’t hit what’s there and you try to get a little bit more than what’s necessary, it kind of bites you in the butt I guess you would say,” he continued. “It’s something that we were playing so well in the first half and in the second half we were just off a tick and sometimes that’s all it takes to lose a football game.”
Kansas City’s 2021-22 season ends with a 12-5 regular-season record, an AFC West Title, and an AFC Championship appearance for a fourth straight season. The Bengals advance to the Super Bowl and will face the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in the NFC Championship Game.