Following their epic 54-51 loss on Monday night, the Chiefs left Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles feeling like they had beaten themselves instead of as if they were beaten by the Rams.
Under intense pressure all night, Patrick Mahomes was sacked three times, lost two fumbles and tossed three interceptions. The turnovers were huge as they took points off the board for Kansas City and put them on the board for LA.
The Chiefs also didn’t do themselves any favors in terms of field position as they were penalized 13 times for 135 yards. Kicker Harrison Butker also missed an extra point, which didn’t end up mattering much in terms of the final margin but could have.
They would both have to make it through the playoffs, but should the Chiefs and Rams meet again in the Super Bowl, Kansas City’s players are confident they would win the KC/LA rematch.
“I mean, the fact that we were in this game with three scoring turnovers, we gave them 21 points off turnovers and they’re a good team,” said Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley. “If we can eliminate those penalties, and those turnovers, this game is a different game. If we can score off those drives, it’s a different game. It all comes down to being disciplined and executing.”
Former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn, who now works for CBS as an analyst, seems to agree with Conley and the rest of Kansas City’s club.
“My first inclination coming away from this game is: You’re Kansas City, you lost by three on the road and you turned the football over, what, five times?” Quinn said this week. “I kind of feel like, looking at the score differential, Kansas City might be a better team. They kind of stacked the odds against themselves. I know L.A. won, but if this is on a neutral site, I think Kansas City wins.”
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