Chiefs seeking redemption in Week 13 | KCSN Daily 11.29
Plus KCSN podcasts, Pro Bowl fan voting, transactions, quotes and more Chiefs news.
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The Chiefs’ AFC title game loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last season has been festering like an open wound. The players have been asked about the disappointing loss time and time again since. They’ve had a lot of time to think about the game and talk about what went wrong, but in Week 13 they finally get their shot at redemption against the team that beat them.
Much has been made about Patrick Mahomes’ performance in the second half of that game. Asked to reflect on it, Mahomes didn’t hold back.
“I mean it’s not a good place,” Mahomes said bluntly. “They beat us. I played terrible in the second half, and we lost at home (in a game) that could’ve sent us to the Super Bowl.”
The Chiefs led the Bengals 21-10 at halftime, but they’d score just three more points in the second half compared to Cincinnati’s 17 points. What did Mahomes learn from that painful loss? He learned a little something about killer instinct and playing his best for a full four quarters.
“Yeah, I mean you learn that you’ve got to just continue to push,” Mahomes said. “You can’t be satisfied with where you’re at. We scored a lot of points that first half and went in (to halftime) kind of thinking we’d just coast to the Super Bowl but they’re a team that’s going to fight so they’re going to fight to the very end. That’s why they were in the Super Bowl, so we have to make sure that we go in with two great halves of football and however long it takes.”
Mahomes wasn’t the only one who struggled in the AFC title game, though. Nick Bolton wasn’t pleased with his individual performance and he wasn’t happy about some of the plays the defense left on the field.
“Cincinnati, they got us twice last year,” Bolton said. “We didn’t tackle very well and we didn’t tackle the quarterback. We had a lot of missed opportunities last year to kind of end the game with sacks and getting behind the sticks. We didn’t do that. That kind of sticks out to me. I believe I had two dropped interceptions that game, so that’s one of the things that stung in the offseason when I looked back at the game and watched it.”
Bolton has made a concerted effort to improve his game this year to ensure that type of disappointment doesn’t happen again.
“I don’t think I played very good, personally,” Bolton said. “So, I feel like this year I have to come in and be better for our defense to be what it needs to be. I spent a lot of time on that one in the offseason.”
Beating the Bengals in Week 13 won’t change the past, but the players know that it’s an important box to check with their eyes on the No. 1 seed in the AFC and Super Bowl LVII.
“We’ll be ready to go this next week, for sure,” Mahomes said.
KC Laboratory:
KCSN’s Kent Swanson and Matt Lane break down the Kansas City Chiefs' signing of running back Melvin Gordon and wide receiver Bryan Edwards as well as break down the Chiefs' victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Pro Bowl Games Fan Voting update:
The Chiefs have the third-most votes among all NFL teams in the league’s latest tally of fan voting. A total of five Chiefs are currently leading the AFC field at their respective position as of Nov. 28.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: 87,384
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: 85,785
Chiefs DT Chris Jones: 60,051
Chiefs C Creed Humphrey: 36,383
Chiefs RS (Return Specialist) Isiah Pacheco: 40,543
You can vote for players online here. Voting via Twitter opens on Thursday, Dec. 1.
Transactions:
11/29 - Practice squad contract terminated - C Austin Reiter & RB Wayne Gallman (Read more here)
KCSN Update:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel catches up with The Athletic's Nate Taylor to ask him his 5 Burning Questions following the Kansas City Chiefs' win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Quotable:
“Aaron Donald is one of the best defensive tackles to ever play the game, so we knew we were going to have our hands full. I think our guys did a good job of settling in and making sure we came back with the right mentality to keep treating it like a fight. I think we got good shots on him. He made some good plays, too. It was a good game, for sure. He’s an extremely talented player, but they have talented players across the whole front seven, so it was a tough matchup.” - Creed Humphrey on success against Aaron Donald in Week 12
“Yeah listen, it’s an honor, first of all, to have an opportunity to coach here just like it is for you guys to write about the Chiefs. It’s a great place to be, and it’s a great time. The main thing is when you’re sitting in the seat I’m sitting in is you got to keep winning, right? So, you don’t sit back and rest on those things, Matt (McMullen). You’ve been around me, I’m kind of, ‘Ok, that’s great. Let’s go onto the next one.’ And the next one ends up being the most important one. So, that’s where we’re at. I don’t want to slight the fact that a lot of you guys are from Kansas City and are proud of it and so, it’s great to have a winning program.” - Andy Reid on a decade of winning seasons in Kansas City
Quick Hits:
From the Mahomes family: Brittany Mahomes gave birth to Patrick “Bronze” Lavon Mahomes III on Nov. 28, 2022. Congratulations to the family on their newest bundle of joy!
From KCSN: The Chiefs continue to get the absolute most out of their rookie class. Our Joseph Hefner has the latest rookie snap count rankings for the entire league.
Important dates ahead:
Sunday, Dec. 4 at 3:25 p.m. CT - Week 13: Chiefs vs. Bengals - Paul Brown Stadium - Cincinnati, Ohio
The Soul of KC Holiday Raffle & Toy Drive is back for another year. Through your raffle ticket purchases, the KCSN foundation will be able to get presents for Operation Breakthrough’s Christmas Store. Last year, we raised nearly $14,000 to benefit kids in the Kansas City community.
Raffle tickets can be purchased through the @KCSportsNetwork Venmo. You can find a list of prizes in the graphic above.
1 ticket = $20. 10 tickets for $100. Tickets will be on sale through December 6. Winners will be drawn LIVE on the KC Sports Network YouTube channel at halftime of the December 11 game when the Chiefs take on the Denver Broncos.