Miami Dolphins Media Conference

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Miami, Florida, USA

Patrick Mahomes

Postgame Presser


Kansas City Chiefs - 33, Miami Dolphins - 27

Q. You just tweeted you have a love/hate relationship with the stadium down there in Miami. Describe that relationship for us.

PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, I mean obviously the love part that we won the Super Bowl here and we have just clinched the AFC West, so seems like every time we leave this stadium we have a hat of some type of thing that we have accomplished.

But in the hate part, I feel like I have half my interceptions, it seems like, at this stadium. So obviously a little bit of a joke, I mean whatever way we win football games I love it, but at the same time it was just, it's just ironic that it had to be at this stadium.

Q. The fourth down play, can you walk us through that play and also what's it mean to you that coach trusts you to throw the ball in that situation?

PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, it just comes with the experience of being in those situations before. He knows I'm going to make the right decision. If it's there, I'm going to take it. If it's not, I'm going to find a way to make it with my legs or give someone else a chance. So we go through that stuff every single game preparing for those situations and I think that's why we execute at a high level when we get put in those situations.

That was a play that we had kind of went over in the meeting the night before that we would like to go in that situation and it worked out well.

Q. I'm sure you're aware of the statistics, but four to one turnovers ratio today, just what does it say about the pedigree and some of the composure about you guys winning today, even though you had four turnovers?

PATRICK MAHOMES: It says a lot about this football team in general. It talks about how it's not just an offense, it's not just a defense, it's not just special teams, we're a complete football team that just likes, that finds ways to win in every single way. And you saw in that first half, I mean it's 80 something degrees outside and I'm putting the defense back on the field over and over again and they're finding ways to get stops and keeping us in that ball game so the offense can get going.

So it just shows that we have a veteran group of guys that really understand that we just have to make sure that we keep each other accountable and keep playing for the guy next to you and we can find ways to win football games.

Q. Of course you have times when you throw an interception or something goes wrong, but you really rarely had a series of things happen kind of like it did in that first quarter. And I just wonder, do you get angry, do you get determined, what is it that kicks in? Because obviously you had something to shrug off there?

PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, I mean, I think, obviously, you get angry, you don't want to turn the ball over and put your defense in that situation. At the same time I have ultimate confidence in the guys around me that we're going to keep battling and find ways to win games. The defense kept us in the game, they kept getting stops whenever they were on the field it seemed like the entire first quarter and then all of a sudden we were leading at halftime. I feel like this team plays better when their backs are up against the wall and that's a good thing to have about a football team.

Q. I know when you come off the field you're focusing on getting your offense together going over strategy with the coaches and your teammates. But I'm curious, if you were able to watch any of Tua at all, what are your impressions of him so far in his career and also kind of the competitiveness of the Dolphins as they kept fighting and staying in this game?

PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, they're a well-coached football team. They have a lot of guys that love to compete and they're going to fight until the very end. You've seen that on film week after week. So it's a good football team that will probably be in the playoffs and a team that will be a hard team to take out in the playoffs. So for us we just have to continue to get better and better.

And then as far as with Tua, I think he's, I mean, I kind of talked about it earlier this week, but that veteran mindset. You can see that when they were down in that game he didn't try to force it, he just took what was there and moved the ball down the field and found a way to get the game close.

So he's going to continue to learn more and more continue to get better and better and it's a bright future for the Miami Dolphins, just hopefully not too bright.

Q. It really seemed like the Dolphins had a concentration on Tyreek Hill today and I know you've seen a lot of teams that have done that but what were you seeing from their defense and does it give you an extra sense of satisfaction when you still are able to beat a double team like you were on that 44-yard touchdown?

PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, I mean, you said it, there was a lot of double teams, a lot of safety over the top of him, and then they have a great corner in Howard on him as well. So I still am going to trust him to make plays, I'm going to throw it whenever he gets the opportunity. And I think it's more about him knowing that he's getting kind of taken out of the offense and still just maintaining and maintaining and continue to work and work and then all of a sudden he has a jet sweep for touchdown and a big play for a touchdown. And it just, it's him being a veteran and knowing that we're going to get him the ball in some way if he continues to work and he did a good job of that today.

Q. You don't know anything but AFC West Championships since you've been with the Chiefs, but it hasn't always been that way in their history. Do you take a minute -- understand you have bigger goals -- do you take a minute to appreciate this championship and what you guys have accomplished the last couple years?

PATRICK MAHOMES: 100 percent. I've been lucky enough to be brought into an organization that's been able to win the AFC West every year I've been here, but I still appreciate every single time. Those, these things don't come easy, you have to battle every single off season, you have to battle every training camp, during the season you go through adversity.

So you have to really appreciate winning the AFC West. We'll enjoy it, probably for the flight over, back to Kansas City and then we get to play the New Orleans Saints next week who is a great football team.

So we'll have to move on fast and continue to go out there and just compete and find ways to get better going into the playoffs.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
103437-1-1044 2020-12-13 22:24:00 GMT

ASAP sports

tech 129