Patrick Mahomes insists the Kansas City Chiefs are ready to “compete with anyone” in the NFL playoffs after showing their mettle to beat the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Chiefs captured the AFC West for the eighth straight year with a 21-17 win over the Bengals on New Year's Eve, also ending a miserable 3-8 streak that threatened to derail their season.
The pressure was on the Super Bowl champions after their Christmas Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, but Mahomes' return of 21 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown helped them overcome a tough test in Cincinnati and bounce back in style.
Kansas City will now look to keep the momentum going in their final regular-season game against the LA Chargers to head into the playoffs with confidence – and Mahomes believes they are well-equipped to deal with anyone after 'round to have fought adversity” against the Bengals .
Patrick Mahomes insists the Kansas City Chiefs are ready to 'compete with anyone' in the NFL playoffs after beating the Cincinnati Bengals
Mahomes recorded 21 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown to help the Chiefs beat the Bengals 21-17 and capture the AFC West title
He is now calling on his teammates to build momentum ahead of this season's playoffs
When asked if this season feels different than others, the Chiefs quarterback said, “We're not winning this in Week 12 or Week 13 like we used to.
“I mean, we had to fight through adversity and find a way to win this game. But it's not over yet. We have to keep getting better, we know that.
“The model of the season at the end of it has been a good game and a bad game, so how do we sustain this momentum and get it going and build on this momentum?
“Get that momentum into the playoffs, now you're in the playoffs. It's one game, single elimination, and I think we can compete with anyone.”
Mahomes has now won the AFC West title in every NFL season with the Chiefs, who uncharacteristically fell to three of five losses in December.
Their star quarterback also drew criticism for his furious reaction to a late offside call in their loss to the Buffalo Bills on December 10.
Mahomes continued, “It's cool to win the AFC West, but obviously [we’ve been] dealing with some adverse situations in recent weeks.
“For guys to respond against a good football team and find a way to win, even if the game wasn't going our way at the beginning? It was special.'