Mahomes: I've told teammates that 'I've got to be better'

Patrick Mahomes let his teammates know that he's got to improve for the Kansas City Chiefs to climb out of their 3-4 start.

"I've said something to them, that I've got to be better," Mahomes said, according to ESPN's Adam Teicher. "At the same time, they have that mindset that they're going to try to build me up. It's a thing where you're not going to play your best game every single game, and that's when you have to rely on your other guys to kind of step up and make plays for you."

The star quarterback's shaky 2021 campaign seemingly hit rock bottom Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Mahomes completed just over 57% of his passes for 206 yards with zero touchdowns to one interception. His 62.3 passer rating was also the lowest regular-season mark of his career.

"You can just watch the tape and know that I need to play better in order to have success,'' Mahomes said. "There were plays where guys were open. There were plays where we had matchups down the field that I didn't hit that I usually would give those guys opportunities to make plays."

The 26-year-old finds himself in unchartered waters due to his struggles. He's thrown an interception in six straight games, while his nine picks are tied for most in the NFL.

However, Mahomes believes minor adjustments on his technique could help aid his issues.

"It's just stuff that I've always got to work on, and I kind of lose sometimes during the season and have to get better with,'' Mahomes explained. "It's hanging in the pocket, working on my footwork, staying on time, all that stuff like that."

The Chiefs sit at the bottom of the AFC West alongside the Denver Broncos. Kansas City will have an opportunity to get back to .500 on Monday night against the New York Giants.