Q: On the fourth downs.
MAHOMES: “Just having two more opportunities to go and tie the football game and not doing it, you got to be able to make that stuff happen and we haven’t done that enough this year.”
Q: Did this loss hit particularly hard?
MAHOMES: “You’re just getting late in the season (and) you’re not getting these opportunities back and that’s a good football team but we had chances and we didn’t execute at the right time to win it.”
Q: On Wanya Morris going down on the very first play.
MAHOMES: “Next man up. Obviously not where you want to be, but I thought Esa (Pole) played his tail off for being a guy that had to get activated and be on the roster and go up against one of the best pass rushes in the league. (I) thought he did a great job giving me time to throw the ball down the field in big situations.”
Q: On Travis Kelce potentially retiring after this season.
MAHOMES: “Every season that I’ve had with him (Travis Kelce) these last few years, I try to cherish because you never know. He got himself in great shape this year and he’s played great football, and he’ll have the option to do whatever he wants to do after this season, but I know one thing is he’ll give everything he has the rest of this season to try and give us a chance to make a playoff run. We know the chances are getting lower and lower, but I know the guys on this team are going to give everything they have every opportunity they get.”
Q: How do you lift the guys up?
MAHOMES: “It’s just who we are. I know we’re not winning games but that mindset that these guys have in this locker room in the games that we’re not winning. You can never question the fight of this team and obviously we’re not executing at the highest level at the right moments and we’re not making those plays but at the end of the day, you’ll never question that. I think you’ll see that for these last four weeks.”
Q: On converting on fourth downs in the second half.
MAHOMES: “They (Houston Texans) did a good job on the fourth down of passing off the crossers and I tried to get the ball to Rashee (Rice). I think I was a little late and the guy made a great play breaking on the ball. Just have to execute at a higher level in those big moments and it’s something that we haven’t done this year and we’re not going to have many more opportunities, so we have to go out and maximize those opportunities and try and give ourselves more into the playoffs.”
Q: On the fourth-and-one on the Chiefs own 31-yard line.
MAHOMES: “(Head) Coach (Andy) Reid believes in us and we’ve executed in that same situation several times this season and they (Houston Texans) did a good job of passing the crossers, which like I said, I wish I got it to Rashee (Rice) a little bit earlier or if I could’ve bought a little bit more time in hindsight, probably try and hit Trav (Kelce) over the top of the defender but he (Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr.) made a good play. They made good plays today, but I’ll never question the decision to go for it because I believe in the offense and who we are.”
Q: On talking to Rashee Rice after the fourth-and-one.
MAHOMES: “I don’t have to say anything. He’s (Rashee Rice) a champion for a reason. He knows what it takes and he’s made that play 99% of the time and I have to give him a better chance with the ball maybe more on his body. I’ll never question that. I’m going to go to those guys in big moments. Those guys have made big plays in Super Bowls, they’ve made big plays in AFC Championship Games. Obviously, it didn’t go our way today. I have a lot to do with that myself. We’ll go back and like I said, regardless of what happens the rest of this season, we’ll give everything we have every snap and give ourselves the best chance to go out there and make a run.”
Q: On the incomplete deep pass to Tyquan Thornton.
MAHOMES: “We’ve been close all season. At the end of the day, you have to go out there and make it happen. I have to make the throw a little bit earlier so the guy can’t close. We have to make those plays (and) we have to score touchdowns in these moments. We’ve got the talent, we’ve got the heart but we have to go out there and execute it and until we prove it, we’ll come away with losses. Like I said, I know we’re going to give everything we have, we’ll give ourselves a chance and see what happens.”
Q: On the second and third quarter.
MAHOMES: “We battled. Obviously, we did offensively – especially we didn’t play the way we were supposed to play. I’m proud of the way the defense fought with all of the disadvantages we put them in, they (the defense) kept giving us chances. That’s all we can ask for them. Offensively, I have to be better at not turning the football over (and) getting us into better plays in certain situations and then giving guys chances down the field. It’s a little bit of everything but it starts off with me and then it feeds throughout the entire team.”
Q: On not coming through in the big moments. Is that a snowball effect from week to week?
MAHOMES: “It just happens in this league. You can’t put a pin on what that exact thing is, you just go out there and you give your best effort every single time and I believe in our guys like I said. We’ve done it before. Every single opportunity we get we believe we’re going to score and we’re going to make it happen and that hasn’t happened this year but the next opportunity we get, I believe it’ll happen that time.”
Q: On the second interception.
MAHOMES: “They (Houston Texans) got a good rush and I tried to throw the ball (and) and obviously didn’t throw it far enough but in that situation, the interception as long as they don’t get a return, it isn’t the worst thing in the world. Just trying to give a guy a chance down the field. I wish I would’ve thrown it a little bit more inside and gave Hollywood (Brown) a chance to maybe high point the ball, but he (Texans
CB Kamari Lassiter) made a good play of falling off the receiver and making a play. I’ll be better at where I locate the football to give my guy a better chance to go out there and make a contested catch.”