qq. The locker room was silent—too silent—when Patrick Mahomes finally stepped forward, helmet still in his hand, sweat streaked down his face like battle marks. It felt like you were walking into the exact moment the frustration boiled over. No excuses, no sugarcoating—just raw truth.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday was a tough pill to swallow, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t hold back when discussing what went wrong. After the Chiefs’ 31-28 defeat, Mahomes made it clear that the team can no longer afford to make the same mistakes and expect to win.

“We can’t afford to keep making mistakes and expect to win,” Mahomes said during his post-game interview. “The Cowboys showed us what happens when you don’t execute — and we can’t keep allowing that to happen. We’ve got to find a way to turn this around, and I believe we will.”

The loss to the Cowboys dropped the Chiefs to 7-5 on the season, with their playoff position now uncertain. Despite some strong individual performances, including a 100-yard game from star wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Mahomes throwing for over 300 yards, the Chiefs’ mistakes proved costly. From turnovers to missed opportunities in critical moments, the game was marred by the kind of errors that Mahomes knows simply won’t cut it if they want to make a deep playoff run.

The Chiefs were in control for much of the game but couldn’t seal the deal when it mattered. Mahomes threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, and the Chiefs failed to capitalize on several scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, the Cowboys, led by quarterback Dak Prescott and a balanced offensive attack, took advantage of every opportunity and made sure to execute in critical situations.

“It’s frustrating,” Mahomes said, clearly disappointed with the performance. “We’ve got the talent to win games like this, but talent alone won’t win you anything. It’s all about execution, especially in big moments. We didn’t do that today.”

Despite the loss, Mahomes is remaining optimistic. The Chiefs still have a strong chance of making the playoffs, but Mahomes knows that they need to clean up their mistakes quickly. He emphasized the importance of getting back to the fundamentals, focusing on taking care of the football, and finishing drives.

“This loss is on all of us,” Mahomes said. “We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to hold each other accountable. And we’ve got to execute when it matters. If we do that, we’ll get back on track and finish strong.”

The Chiefs’ road to redemption starts with the next game, and Mahomes is determined to lead the charge. He knows that the team has the talent, but it’s up to everyone to execute at a high level to avoid further slip-ups. As the Chiefs’ season hangs in the balance, they’ll need to take Mahomes’ message to heart and clean up the mistakes that have been holding them back.

“We’ll get back to work,” Mahomes concluded. “I believe in this team, and I believe we’re going to fix it. The season’s far from over.”

The Chiefs will look to rebound quickly as they prepare for the final stretch of the season. With Mahomes at the helm, they have the leadership and talent to turn things around. But it’s going to take discipline, focus, and execution — something Mahomes is confident they can do if they commit to fixing the mistakes that have plagued them.