Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid complain about turnover problems after KC Chiefs win against Bengals

Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ last-second 26-25 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes each discussed the main reason the game needed a final field goal to secure the win: the Chiefs’ three-game losing streak, including two interceptions by Mahomes.

“So what are we learning from this?” Reid asked at the podium. “Turnovers. They kill you. They very rarely give you a chance to win the game. So if you win with three turnovers, that’s a plus, but we have to address it.”

When asked about Mahomes’ first interception, Reid gave his take on how the Bengals defense and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither beat the KC quarterback.

“Ah, the guy got them,” Reid said. “He (Mahomes) was waiting for (Travis) Kelce to break in, Kelce broke in and he didn’t see it was a Cover 2 look and the backside linebacker, a veteran guy, snuck right into the frame. He doesn’t miss that many of those.”

During Mahomes’ postgame media appearance, the Chiefs quarterback was less forgiving of the team’s mistakes.

“I thought we did a lot of good things, but the three turnovers just shouldn’t have happened,” Mahomes said. “On the first interception, I have to find the backside linebacker. I mean, the kid made a great play on the second interception. I’m glad we didn’t play as cleanly as we wanted to and still found a way to win. That speaks volumes about the defense and the whole team, but obviously we have a lot to fix on offense as we move forward.”

Reid was also asked about rookie running back Carson Steele’s fumble in the first half and his tendency to continue to rely on young players after a turnover early in his career.

“Yeah, he’s still a young guy,” Reid said. “In this league, you have to keep the ball close to your body. He was down low and had both hands on it, but the ball goes up and all of a sudden it’s knocked out. You can learn from that. You just can’t do that at this level. So he came back and ran hard for us.”

With Isiah Pacheco’s injury and his status for Week 3 and beyond uncertain, Steele may have to expect an increasing workload very early in his NFL career.

Read more: Andy Reid gives update on Isiah Pacheco’s ankle injury in game against the Bengals