Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is looking for something a little different out of his offense in Week 13.
When the Chiefs first faced the Oakland Raiders in Week 2, it was a performance that saw ebbs and flows from the offense. The Chiefs started out cold in the first quarter but exploded in the second quarter scoring 28 points. Kansas City ended up defeating the Raiders 28-10 scoring all of their points in one-quarter of play. Mahomes knows that type of thing isn’t sustainable and he wants to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
“I think the biggest thing is our day to day process,” Mahomes said. “Just going about our business and handling it the same way we would every other week. The Raiders have a good team and are playing really well this whole season defensively. We had a quarter where we went off but there were times in that game where we just stalled. So, for us it’s just trying to maintain drives, keep the ball moving and keeping positive plays moving.”
The Chiefs offense stalled a few times as recently as Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers. It’s been a constant problem this season, one that Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy worked to correct during the bye week. They hope to lean on the fundamental approach to eliminate the mistakes and penalties that have plagued the Chiefs this season.
It’s important that they work toward eliminating those errors because this game is the difference between first place in the AFC West or settling for wild card spot in the playoffs. Kansas City isn’t taking that lightly, especially with the game coming against a bitter rival like Oakland. Mahomes, in particular, is well aware of what is at stake this week.
“Yeah, definitely. Especially, playing the Raiders. The rivalry we have here has been a good one for a long time,” Mahomes said. “Being for first place in the division and setting yourself up for the rest of the season is definitely going to be a big one. We’re excited for the opportunity to get to play at Arrowhead. We haven’t been here in a while. I haven’t played here in what seems like two months now, so I’m excited to play in front of our fans and against a great opponent.”
If the Chiefs can get back to playing a steady and balanced four quarters of football, they should be able to win this game and take a 2.5 game lead on the AFC West division as they head into the final quarter of the season.