Patrick Mahomes: Chiefs' Super Bowl Loss 'Worst' I've Been Beaten in a Long Time

Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was blunt in the immediate aftermath of his team's 31-9 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.  

"The worst that I think I've been beaten in a long time," Mahomes told reporters following the game.

The 2018 MVP also lamented how Kansas City's offense struggled mightily Sunday night:

Mahomes finished 26-of-49 for 270 yards and two interceptions, and the fact the Chiefs managed to outgain the Bucs 350-340 doesn't do justice to how thoroughly Tampa Bay's defense stifled one of the NFL's best aerial attacks.

The absences of Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz loomed large for Kansas City. Tampa Bay got regular pressure on Mahomes, often with only four players rushing the quarterback. That allowed defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to drop seven defenders in pass coverage.

The Chiefs' receivers did Mahomes few favors, too.

Nothing better symbolized how the three-time Pro Bowler felt on his own than a fourth-down incompletion to Darrel Williams in the fourth quarter. The Buccaneers forced Mahomes out of the pocket, and he was nearly parallel to the field when he got rid of the ball. The pass hit Williams' facemask and fell to the turf.

The arc of Mahomes' career has made it seem as though he's impervious to these kinds of setbacks. He was the MVP of the league in his first full season as a starting quarterback and won a Super Bowl the following year. And the Chiefs were right back there Sunday to compete for a second straight title.

Simply getting to the Super Bowl is an achievement on its own and shouldn't be taken for granted.

Considering Mahomes only turned 25 in September, this probably won't be his last bite at the apple.

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