Patrick Mahomes is done making excuses, has message for Chiefs teammates

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid were fined $50,000 and $100,000, respectively, for their comments about the offensive offsides call which cost the Chiefs a chance at victory against the Buffalo Bills last week. Kadarius Toney was just across the line of scrimmage, and the officials caught him.

Still, Mahomes in particular wasn't happy about the timing of said penalty -- with the call coming in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. He also inferred that the officials didn't check with Toney to let him know he was across the line of scrimmage, something that frequently happens throughout the game to eliminate such penalties. Reid called the decision and "embarrassment" for the league.

New week, new game, though, right? With the Chiefs losers of two games straight and facing the lowly New England Patriots, Mahomes and KC have a chance to right the ship. This is why Mahomes had a fresh approach prior to the game, and spoke to his teammates.

Mahomes knows how big these winnable games are for postseason seeding. Repeating as Super Bowl champions is not easy, as the Chiefs will receive every opponent's best shot. That includes the Patriots, even with Bailey Zappe starting on the other end of the field.

Are Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes finally over offsides call?

Mahomes and his teammates came to the defense of Toney early and often after their loss to the Bills. However, what makes Andy Reid and the Chiefs coaching staff so great is their ability to move on from week to week. Yes, Week 14's loss left a bad taste in the mouth of Mahomes and many others, but Sunday is a new challenge.

Toney himself raised some eyebrows just a few days ago, commenting on his penalty and saying the officials "lied" and did not check with him pre-play. Nonetheless, it's on Mahomes -- a true leader of this team on the field -- to get them past the next hurdle.

At the very least, he's doing all he can to set a good example.