ESPN: Sean McDermott in tears.

After the Bills’ defeat, Patrick Mahomes spoke with Kadarius Toney: A single error “won’t define you”

ESPN: Sean McDermott in tears.

Kadarius Toney has experienced hardships this year.

The main problem with his 2023 performance has been dropped passes. However, on Sunday, in the last two minutes of a tense game against the Bills, he grabbed a pass from tight end Travis Kelce that was intended for him in reverse, and everyone thought he had scored the game-winning touchdown. However, Toney made another mistake that neutralized the amazing play: he lined up offside.

The call infuriated Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who allowed the side judge to hear it after the Chiefs lost to Buffalo, 20-17, after failing to convert. Since then, he has expressed regret and acknowledged that the officials made the right decision, which has inadvertently brought attention back to Toney.

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Mahomes stated on Wednesday that he had no desire to hold his teammate accountable. He’s more concerned with encouraging Toney.

About his message to Toney, Mahomes stated, “Just be you,” according to ESPN. “In this league or in life, that is all you are capable of. You will err from time to time. You will experience events throughout your life. How can you overcome that difficulty and do things the correct way when faced with it?

“A single error won’t determine who you are. It will depend on how you handle that error.”

Despite having only been in Kansas City for about a year—having been acquired via trade during the 2022 season—Toney has experienced the whole gamut of results in his career. He scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Chiefs a one-point lead and then returned a punt to set up a crucial touchdown on Kansas City’s following possession, playing a crucial part in the team’s comeback victory over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.

In 2023, he has also been the source of several significant setbacks. In Week 1, he botched a pass during Kansas City’s futile attempt to rally, and he has committed numerous additional errors in a regular season that has grown progressively annoying for all parties.

Although hardly the only receiver to let us down, Toney stands out the most. Nevertheless, Mahomes is aware that his teammates’ performance will determine how well he does.

“All the receivers know I believe in them,” he stated. That’s just the way I operate. In the event that I observe your diligence in the locker room, I will not only put my trust in you during critical situations but also provide you with opportunities to perform. Based on what I’ve observed, their motivation appears to be focused on improving themselves and their game.

“It’s evident from how hard they’re training here. And as the season progresses, I think that if we can just keep going through the grind, we’ll emerge stronger on the other side.”

Kansas City has been here before; they had trouble getting going in 2021 but eventually clicked and made it to the AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs had ironed out their faults a year later, making a dramatic comeback to the Super Bowl.

But these Chiefs aren’t going to follow the same path as either of those teams, mostly because Mahomes doesn’t have a reliable target other than Kelce. Mahomes has fewer alternatives because rookie Rashee Rice is his most reliable option behind Kelce.

Many are questioning if the Chiefs will learn from their mistakes in time to make a Super Bowl comeback in light of the outcomes. Kelce has taken on a “us versus the world” mentality and isn’t interested in listening to such uncertainty.

“There’s a lot of media pointing fingers on the skill players on our team, I say f— that,” Kelce stated. We normally use lighter language, so pardon my profanity, but you guys have to feel that whoever is talking shit about our skill players and our offense is disrespecting us.

We have men who can play this game, guys we can succeed with and win championships with, and when you turn the film on, it really shows that this is a team effort. I’ve been a part of championship-winning teams, so I know this. Penalties, mistakes, and pivotal moments are all depicted in the movie—it’s not just one individual. Each person is receiving a portion of the pie.