The Denver Broncos turned the pressure up on Patrick Mahomes in their win over the Kansas City Chiefs, and the two-time MVP spoke candidly about the experience afterward.
It included a blunt reality check about himself in the grand scheme of the offense.
Mahomes’ comments come amid some from Broncos head coach Sean Payton, whose remarks underscore just why Denver did not shy away from the significance of this contest going into it or in the aftermath.
Patrick Mahomes Gets Honest After Broncos Defeat Chiefs
GettyPatrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on during warmups before facing the Denver Broncos.
“That’s what you want. You want to get that opportunity at the end of the game, and we didn’t – I didn’t come through,” Mahomes told reporters on November 16.
Mahomes also lamented missing the few opportunities to complete passes down the field, saying he had to “make the throw” on one, and that he simply “missed” another. Mahomes finished with a 276-1-1 line on 64.4% completion.
“You learn from it,” Mahomes said of the misses.
“At the same time, against a good defense like that, you’re not going to have these opportunities all game long. And so, when they’re there, you gotta hit them.”
One of those attempts led to an interception from Broncos nickelback Ja’Quan McMillian.
“I was rolling out to the right. Just – you can’t do it,” Mahomes said. “I’ll have to look on the film – I thought I had Elijah [Mitchell], kind of down the sideline. And I was going to give him a chance, and I just didn’t throw it high enough at the end of the day. I got 29 [McMillian] to go to me because he was guarding him. And I didn’t throw it high enough, and he jumped up and made a good play.”
Mahomes said that he has “made that throw before,” while also acknowledging that he cannot “put the ball in harm’s way” in that situation.
That was not the only play McMillian made on Mahomes for the Broncos, either.
Ja’Quan McMillian on Patrick Mahomes
GettyJa’Quan McMillian #29 of the Denver Broncos makes an interception against the Kansas City Chiefs.
McMillian also got 2.0 sacks on Mahomes for the Broncos. McMillian revealed that the three-time Super Bowl champion showed a tell.
“It’s kind of a timing thing. You try to hold it as long as possible. You can see some of the quarterbacks, they looking at the nickel. Because the nickel kind of shows what the defense is in a lot of the time. So, I just try to hold it as long as possible,” McMillian said postgame.
“You’re trying to find keys to when the ball is snapped. And I noticed early in the game when he was snapping the ball, his hands would come up, and the ball was coming out. So, I just timed it up. When his hands start coming up, I start sneaking towards the edge, and just made a play. They didn’t slide the protection. I just went in.”
McMillian said he “wasn’t sure” about some details of the fleeting moment.
However, one thing was for certain. He was not going to let Mahomes complete one of the plays the uber-talented quarterback has become synonymous with.
“I just seen him winding up, and that’s why I kind of jumped. I jumped in the air. I didn’t want him to throw the ball,” McMillian said. “I was going to bat it down or … get the sack; one of those. But he wasn’t getting that ball off.”
Sean Payton: Broncos Planned to Limit Patrick Mahomes’ Splash Plays
GettyDenver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on before facing the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Broncos are one of the best defenses in the league, and the best if they tell it. Moreover, the Broncos’ success in flustering Mahomes when it mattered the most was not by happenstance.
Payton explained that the Broncos intended to limit Mahomes’ explosiveness, along with a tip of the cap to the QB.
“I think changing the looks with respect to Patrick – Man, he’s something,” Payton said on November 16. “Trying to keep him in the pocket and eliminate some of the [plays where it is] third-and-20, he climbs up, and we give up an interference, but rushing him the right way and then playing coverage the right way, it’s tough, especially when they’re healthy with all their skilled players like they were tonight.”
Payton’s note about the Chiefs’ health was not a slip.
The Broncos, who entered this game without Alex Singleton, J.K. Dobbins, and Pat Surtain II, split their meetings with the Chiefs last season, winning in Week 18 as Mahomes rested.
Payton’s Broncos had beaten Mahomes and the Chiefs once before, in Week 8 of the 2023 season. The Broncos finished 8-9 that season. They won 10 games and made the playoffs last season.
This season, Payton and the Broncos are 9-2, tied for the NFL’s best record coming off that win.
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