Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II in January of 2023.
Finally, Kansas City Chiefs playoff football is here! This year’s first opponent: Trevor Lawrence and the AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars.
Make no mistake, this is not the same Jags opponent of the past couple of years — finishing dead last in the NFL for two straight seasons from 2020 through 2021. Jacksonville took down the Los Angeles Chargers on Super Wild Card Weekend despite their young QB throwing four interceptions in the first half, and Chiefs Kingdom knows just how challenging an adversary the AFC West rival can be.
Today on January 17, Patrick Mahomes II commented on Lawrence’s ability to comeback against the Chargers during his media availability, crediting the second-year signal-caller for his resolve and mental fortitude.
“It’s tough man,” Mahomes began. “When you throw [four] interceptions, especially in the first half… even if it’s your fault or not. That kind of can seep into your mind — [like] what decisions am I going to make going forward? Do I protect it, or do I stay aggressive? But he battled through, man. That’s the true test of a competitor — whenever stuff’s not going your way, to still pull your team to find a way to win, and he’s done it at every level.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Is Not Taking Jaguars Lightly
After praising Lawrence for being a “great competitor,” Mahomes added that Jacksonville will be a “great challenge.”
He continued: “They have a great football team that’s playing — that’s been playing playoff football for like over a month now. So, they understand what it takes to win, and we have to go out there and do whatever we can to do what we can to win.”
The Jaguars fell to 3-7 after losing to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in November. After that point, they won six out of their last seven games, sweeping the AFC South leading Tennessee Titans to overtake them for first place. That’s what Mahomes means when he says Jacksonville has been playing playoff football for over a month.
They’ve been winning do-or-die matchups, and that sort of run makes you battle-tested as a franchise — especially when it’s a young organization like this one.
“They’re a fast, physical team,” Mahomes noted earlier. “I think the only difference is they might just have a little bit more confidence [now than in Week 10]… but they’re a talented team. I knew that the first time that we played them.”
The Chiefs signal-caller even offered a small piece of advice to his opponent — and Lawrence, in particular — after their first postseason win. “Probably just controlling emotions,” he replied. “You won a big game, your first playoff game, [but] you can’t be satisfied. I think that’s the biggest thing. Other than that, it’s just football. You gotta come back and play the next week and find a way to win that next one.”
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon Addresses AFC Player of the Month Award, Being Named a Team Captain for 2023 Postseason
Newly minted playoff captain Jerick McKinnon also addressed the media on January 17, chatting with reporters about the past few weeks of his career and how special they’ve been.
“I landed back here and I had a whole bunch of text messages,” McKinnon responded regarding his AFC player of the month honor. “So, that’s kind of how I found out, but it was just a blessing just to [get] recognition like that. You put in so much work, it’s definitely a blessing.”
The Chiefs locker room also awarded McKinnon for his hard work and leadership over the past few months, naming him one of their team captains for the postseason.
“That’s probably my favorite accolade of late,” McKinnon admitted candidly about receiving that sign of respect from his peers, “just because it’s voted [on] by my teammates, so it just lets me know what my teammates think of me. My characteristics, what I bring to the team, and that everybody somewhat looks up to me to vote me team captain — so I definitely appreciate that one, [and] that’s probably the one that I love and sticks out the most to me.”