The Kansas City Chiefs came from behind in Week 12, winning an overtime thriller against the Indianapolis Colts, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a clear message for his locker room after the game.
“We needed a win like this, and now, let’s just try to build off it,” Mahomes said during his postgame press conference. He also raved about the play of his teammates in the second half.
“This is exactly what we needed,” the Chiefs QB voiced. “To win against a really good football team, and the game’s not going your way, [we] could have folded in that situation… The guys responded and then found a way to win on every single unit.”
“Offense, we found a way at the end,” he continued. “Defense stood tall multiple times to give us chances. And then Harrison [Butker] and [Matt] Araiza did a great job flipping the field and making field goals.”
As Mahomes alluded, it took all three phases to defeat the Colts after falling behind 14-3 early on.
Mahomes threw for 352 yards, running back Kareem Hunt rushed for 104 and 1 touchdown, wide receiver Rashee Rice had 8 catches for 141 yards, Butker went five-for-five on field goals, and the defense stonewalled Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor when it mattered most. In other words, it was a true team victory for the Chiefs in Week 12.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Admits It Was ‘Do-or-Die’ vs. the Colts in Week 12
GettyKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts.
It felt like the Chiefs’ season was on the line against the Colts. After the game, Mahomes admitted that he agreed with that sentiment.
“It was kind of an urgency thing. I mean, obviously, you want to be urgent, but it was [a] do-or-die type of [game] where you had to make something happen, and guys made plays happen throughout the entire team,” Mahomes noted. “It wasn’t one person, it was everybody. Everybody made plays in the biggest moments, and we found a way to win.”
You said it, Pat. If the Chiefs lost this one, they would have fallen to 5-6. Meanwhile, the win put them at 6-5, just one game back of all three wildcard spots.
Before the game, analysts explained that this win-loss outcome was going to significantly impact Kansas City’s playoff odds, one way or the other. And for the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, they pulled it out to dramatically increase their postseason chances in 2025-26.
Chiefs Are Still in a Tough Spot Heading Into Week 13
The games don’t get any less important from here on out. For all intents and purposes, every week should be seen as an early playoff outing, and the next matchup will come on Thanksgiving Day against a red-hot Dallas Cowboys team.
The main issue for KC is that all three AFC wildcard teams currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over them.
The Chiefs lost to the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills in 2025. They have another game against the Chargers to even things out, but the Jags and Bills would beat out Kansas City in the event of a tie.
That puts the Chiefs in a tough spot, and they also find themselves behind the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans, who are all currently on the outside looking in.
Like Mahomes said, this cannot be a one-off for KC. They must “try to build off” this victory, because they’ll need a lot more wins if they want to make it back to another Super Bowl.
Patrick Mahomes Sends Clear Message to Chiefs Teammates After Beating Colts