Chiefs 27, Minnesota 20
Q. Patrick, did you have any sense that Travis would be able to get back in the game, and what was that like that whole bit unfolded?
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, it was a little weird because happened right before the half, and so we obviously had that two-minute drive. Then you got back to the locker room, they're looking at it and stuff like that, but I knew -- I mean, obviously it hurts, and if Travis is out of the game it hurts.
I knew he was trying to get back in. I feel like Travis has the same mindset as I do. If you give him a window of if he can get back in the game, he's going to get back in the game.
Competitive, man. That's why he's one of the greatest. He will battle through stuff like that and came back and made a lot of great catches for us.
Q. Speaking of which, that third and second pass, not quite sure how he caught it. You know what one I'm talking about?
PATRICK MAHOMES: Uh-huh.
Q. What was your view of that?
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, no, it was -- the DB played good coverage. It was man coverage. He played outside leverage. We were trying to right an out route type thing. I stepped up in the pocket and I was just, give him a chance, just put it up to the big guy.
He had a tough catch. He held onto it into the ground. Once you're on the ground you got get touched if you have possession. It was a big time catch in a big moment in the game, and we obviously were able to go down and score after that.
Q. Wanted to ask you about two plays of the second half. First one, just I know Watson's third and 18. Immediately based on the coverage he thought you were going to him. (Indiscernible.)
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, we had -- we really try to do our best against this defense to have answers versus their cover zero and blitz package. It's hard to prepare for. Be like preparing for Spags. Like, man, this is tough.
They do a lot of good things and have a lot of good schemes, so that was the option versus cover zero. Obviously we didn't want to be that far backed up, and so the guy that was guarding -- I think it was Marquez, fell off, and I didn't necessary see it, but I put up it there for J-Wat to make play and he made play for me.
So that was a big drive. That started that drive and got us going out of the half. We were backed up and that really could have changed the game.
Q. (Indiscernible) said that on the slant play, that was something that you worked on... (indiscernible.)
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, no, it's stuff that we've been trying to just keep those young guys learning, learning versus coverage, not always going to be perfect. I thought he did a great job and it was right after the -- I think the one that went over the top that we didn't work on that one, and he saw it, made an adjustment, and made a play on the next one.
That's what it's going to take. It's going to take a lot of the guys as they get reps learning from -- I don't want to say mistakes -- but from the missed cues or whatever you want to call it and then executing the next play.
And they got to know I'm going to keep firing it to them. That's my mentality. I'm going to keep throwing the ball to them. Saw a lot of the young guys step up and make plays today.
Q. Did you have a chance to talk to Kelce at halftime?
PATRICK MAHOMES: I don't like to talk to Travis when he's hurting because he's a mean guy. I did not talk to him at halftime, but I kind of just peeked in there and looked at Rick and I said, how we feeling? He said, he's going to try to see if he can go.
Q. At what point were you aware he was coming back in the game? When he came back in the game?
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, I saw him actually on the sideline on that first drive. It was the role reversal of me in the playoffs just standing there on the sideline trying to get back in.
No, I thought those other guys stepped up. Big drive at the end the half to step up and make plays. Noah always does a great job when he gets those opportunities.
And then we were able to kind of mess with the personnels a little bit and kind of have something going until he could get back in the game.
Q. (Indiscernible.)
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, I mean, we have guys that when we're might have been a three tight end set, we throw a receiver in there and stuff like that. We have guys that are able to learn that, know the offense, and go out there and do that.
So we prepare for that stuff. You can't always prepare for everything, but we try to prepare for if someone goes down or if something happens how we can still run our plays. Coach Reid does a great job of that.
Q. (Regarding Justin.)
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, thought he played well. I mean, everybody knows he has the talent, so he made that big time catch in the second, I think it was 18 or something like that.
Some of those other plays, I mean, he has the talent. We're going to keep bringing him on and moving him around in different positions.
But, I mean, there is a lot of young guys out there and we're going to keep everybody moving and going in the right direction.
I think by the end of the year we're going to be dangerous because you're not going to know who is going to get those opportunities throughout the game.
Q. Is it more of he just needs to pick up more in the offense?
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, I mean, he's picked up what we've given him. I think we're just trying to find ways to integrate him in the offense. We have a lot of guys and we -- but we see his talent. We see what he can do and the plays he can make. We're trying to do whatever we can to put him in positions to go out there and make those plays.
As he gets more and more comfortable, just like any other rookie in a sense, we'll keep giving him more and more chances to go out there and make plays.
Q. How ad lib was the play? Basically looked like a basketball pass to Travis.
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah.
Q. Go through that play.
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, we tried to go off like a little pump screen and slipped Toney down the sideline. I pumped and the corner fell off, and I stepped up in the pocket and Travis is supposed to be on the sideline, and luckily he was running across the field.
I have those moments where I'm like, um, I'm about to get crushed, and I look over and 87 is running free. He's been with me a long time and knows how to get himself open when he gets an opportunity.
Q. Fourth and 11, last play there, the crowd. (Regarding fans traveling well.)
PATRICK MAHOMES: Yeah, no, it's special. Honestly, I remember when we played at Arrowhead a few years back and the Vikings fans traveled well. I remember to me I was like, man, I hope we have that same thing.
I think that just speaks to the Chief's Kingdom. They came out here, and you could see the red in the stadium from the getgo. You could hear the Chiefs at the end of the National Anthem. They traveled well and support us, man.
I'm glad to have that fan base backing me every time no matter where I am and where I'm playing.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports