The Kansas City Chiefs might be seeing their postseason hopes slip away after losing a tough game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. In Thursday’s matchup, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was stellar, but the Cowboys are also on a mission to snag a playoff spot, potentially.
It was a strong start for the Chiefs, who went up 14-7 on the home team in the first quarter. However, Dallas was undeterred, going into halftime with a 17-14 lead. Despite Kansas City gaining a one-point advantage in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys made it a two-score game and ultimately ran out the clock to seal their victory.
Mahomes connected on 23-of-34 pass attempts for 261 yards and four touchdowns. Rashee Rice was his top recipient, recording 92 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce also combined for 106 yards, with the latter getting one of Mahomes’ passes in the endzone.
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Dallas’s field general also had an awe-inspiring performance himself. Despite throwing one interception, he threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns on his 27-of-39 completions. Star wide receiver Cedee Lamb had 112 yards and one touchdown in the 31-28 win.
Following the game, Mahomes didn’t try to sugarcoat anything, as he had a clear message about his team going forward, as they are still trying to get a playoff spot.
“Credit to them, they changed up things, but at the end of the day, we gotta execute at a higher level, and penalties killed some drives. That’s stuff that we gotta be better at, and that’s kind of stuff that we’ve done all year long,” Mahomes told reporters in postgame remarks.
Asked how he and the team will “reset now” with their 6-6 record as they try to play their way into the postseason, Mahomes made the objective for their remaining schedule very clear.
“At the end of the day, you just gotta win every game, and hope that’s enough. We’re gonna play a lot of good football teams coming up. If we’re gonna make the playoffs, we’re gonna have to win them all. That’s gonna be the mindset when we step into the building when we get back [home],” he said.
As of this writing, projections for the NFL Playoffs suggest that the 6-6 Chiefs remain in the hunt. Kansas City’s remaining games include a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers, a team currently listed as an AFC Wild Card team. The Chiefs also get an away game against the lowly Tennessee Titans and a home game against the Denver Broncos, who defeated them several weeks ago.
Despite a 1-5 road record, the Chiefs close out their regular season with a relatively easy contest against one of the league’s worst teams, the Las Vegas Raiders. However, if they aren’t winning those other games, it may not matter much. It could be only the second season since Andy Reid began coaching in 2013 that the Chiefs will miss the postseason, suggesting the KC dynasty is over.
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