Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Says Kadarius Toney Can't Dwell on Mistakes: 'Just Be You'

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney is having a season to forget, but his quarterback is still in his corner.

"Just be you,'' Patrick Mahomes said his message to Toney was after the receiver's offsides penalty took a touchdown off the board near the end of Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills, per Adam Teicher of ESPN. "That's all you can do in life or in this league. You're going to make mistakes. Stuff's going to happen in your life. How do you accept that adversity and get past it and do it the right way?

"You make one mistake, that's not going to define you. It's going to be how you respond to that mistake.''

What a difference that offsides made for Toney, who otherwise would have scored the likely winning touchdown in one of the most memorable regular-season plays in recent NFL history.

Kansas City was driving in the final minutes and facing a three-point deficit when Mahomes hit Travis Kelce downfield. Rather than just going down, Kelce threw a lateral across the field to a wide-open Toney, who ran it in for a touchdown.

Except he lined up in the neutral zone at the snap, meaning it was called back.

It isn't a stretch to suggest Toney is directly responsible for multiple losses this season, as he deflected a pass that should have been caught into the air only for the Detroit Lions to intercept it and return it for a touchdown in the Chiefs' one-point loss in Week 1.

Teicher noted Kansas City wide receivers lead the league with 29 dropped passes, so the mistakes have been part of a larger problem.

On the season, Toney has 25 catches for 164 yards and one touchdown.

The Chiefs are now 8-5 following two straight losses and are just one game ahead of the Denver Broncos in the AFC West. Mahomes' message to focus on the response to the mistake is a notable one, as the reigning champions still have an opportunity to play themselves into a favorable position heading into the postseason.