It was a night of September firsts for Patrick Mahomes, who recorded his first career interception and suffered his first loss in the NFL's opening month.
Prior to Sunday night's 36-35 defeat in Baltimore, Mahomes was 11-0 with 35 passing TDs and 0 INTs in the month of September.
The star quarterback's interception came with K.C. leading 35-24 deep in the third quarter with the ball near midfield. On the play, Mahomes moved up in the pocket to avoid the rush, but rookie Odafe Oweh shed a block and hogtied the quarterback by the legs. As he fell to the turf, Mahomes tried to make a play but instead turned the ball over.
"Yeah, I should have just thrown it to Demarcus Robinson in the flat, then I saw 'Trav' [Travis Kelce] come back to me," Mahomes said after the game. "When dude grabbed my leg, I thought I could get my other leg down. He spun me, and it was a dumb interception. Probably one of the worst interceptions I've probably ever had."
It's easy to question the decision until you remember that Mahomes has made a living in his still-young career making seemingly impossible throws.
"We don't, obviously, want the interception, but he has made some plays doing that. But in that case, we probably want that one back," coach Andy Reid said.
With the Chiefs up double-digits and the ball at midfield, they had the chance to shut the door on a Baltimore comeback. Instead, Mahomes, who threw for 343 yards, 3 TDs and the interception, turned it over in prime position for the Ravens to cut into the lead with a quick TD.
"Yes, of course, the interception was not only dumb in the sense that it was a bad throw or not even close to the receiver," Mahomes said. "It was dumb at that point in the game. Even if I just throw to the flat, and he doesn't get the first down, we have a chance to decide if we are going to kick the field goal or punt and pin them back. So, it's just a lot of little things in games like this, that leads to losses in the end."
The final two K.C. drives ended with a punt and a fumble as Baltimore couldn't be stopped late.
Often in the past three years, it's Mahomes who makes the game-changing play to lift his team in a wild fashion. But, for the first time in a September game, the MVP QB was on the losing end.
