Mahomes: If Chiefs fix issues on offense, 'we can beat anybody'
The Kansas City Chiefs' elite offense has been one of the NFL's constants during the Patrick Mahomes era, but the unit has fallen far short of its standard in 2023.
Nonetheless, the star quarterback is still confident the reigning champions can contend in the playoffs if they address their issues on offense.
"If we clean it up, we'll be able to score points," Mahomes said, according to ESPN's Adam Teicher. "It's just (that) we've got to clean it up. (We have) two games left. You have to do it and if we don't, we'll be going home.
"If we clean it up, we can beat anybody. I truly believe that, but we got to prove that we can do it."
The Chiefs were upset by the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday. They missed out on a chance to secure an eighth straight AFC West title and suffered a sixth regular-season loss for the first time with Mahomes.
Kansas City now sits outside the top 10 in scoring offense, tied for 11th with 22.2 points per game. The club also ranks 24th in the category over the last three games with an average of 19.3 points.
The Chiefs finished as a top-six scoring offense in each of Mahomes' five previous seasons as the starter, including two years in first place.
While Kansas City has been the NFL's worst offense in terms of drops and penalties, Mahomes believes the potential is there for a turnaround.
"You see glimpses of it," Mahomes said. "You see glimpses of us moving the football, you see glimpses of us scoring in the red zone. It's just we haven't consistently done it enough game in and game out at this end of the season.
"We kind of had one good game, one bad game, one good game, one bad game, but we have to be more consistent because when you get to the playoffs you have to string some together."
Unable to consistently rely on his weapons and protection, Mahomes has seemingly played overly aggressive this season to compensate.
He is third in the NFL with a career-high 14 interceptions and has taken 25 sacks - three off his highest mark in a single season - as he often attempts to extend plays.
Per Next Gen Stats, Patrick Mahomes has covered a total distance of 875 yards in this game. It's by far the most ground he's covered in a game all season and there's still 11 minutes left to play.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) December 25, 2023
Mahomes' attacking mindset hasn't paid off, as he's averaging a career-wost 6.9 yards per attempt and is on pace for the second-fewest passing touchdowns and yards of his NFL tenure.
Kansas City ends the regular season with a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals before traveling to face the Los Angeles Chargers.