Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is getting the results he wanted on a rare night for Kansas City Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Most of Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs teammates did what they normally do right after a game. They either took off their uniform, went to the shower, or changed into their street clothes.

Instead, Mahomes sat in front of his belongings in the middle of the Chiefs locker room. Still wearing his dirty white pants, Mahomes was finally able to do what he wanted to do in the middle of Monday night's game against the New Orleans Saints: watch highlights of the Kansas City Royals' biggest game of the season.

Mahomes smiled, laughed and pumped his fist as he watched highlights on his phone of the Royals' 4-2 road win over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, with one game each in the series. Before leaving his seat in front of his locker, Mahomes, who led the Chiefs to a comfortable 26-13 win over the Saints, wanted to send a message to Kansas City sports fans.

“ROYAL!!!” Mahomes wrote on his X account. “The K is about to jump this week!!!!”

Mahomes knows the Royals, in the postseason for the first time since 2015, will host the Yankees for Games 3 and 4 of the series later this week at Kauffman Stadium, the 51-year-old venue next to Arrowhead Stadium. the 52-year-old venue that hosted the Chiefs game on Monday night.

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On a rare night in Kansas City sports history, Mahomes said he did his best to focus on leading the Chiefs past the Saints rather than wondering how the Royals would do against the Yankees.

“You could feel things were going well,” Mahomes said of the Royals. “There was a bit of a lull toward the end of the game and I thought, 'They're not showing the score (at Arrowhead);'” The Yankees came back.' But the Royals got the win. It is extremely exciting. We knew the fans at Arrowhead would be loud, raucous and fully engaged in the game.

“But I haven’t experienced that at Kauffman when the playoffs were sold out, so it was cool to see a combination like that.”

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In June 2020, the Royals announced that Mahomes was the newest member of the club's ownership group.

The fans inside Arrowhead updated Mahomes and his teammates on the Royals' fourth-inning performance late in the first quarter. Many of the 73,000 fans wearing red in support of the Chiefs during a TV timeout started one “Let’s go, Royals!” Singing. The Royals defeated the Yankees with a solo home run from Salvador Pérez, RBI singles from right fielder Tommy Pham, center fielder Garrett Hampson and third baseman Maikel Garcia, and strong pitching from Cole Ragans and four relievers.

Mahomes lets it float @XavierWorthy for an 18-yard gain

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– NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2024

At Arrowhead, Monday night's circumstances may have reminded Mahomes of his father's 11-year major league pitching career. Mahomes had to act like a pitcher who didn't have his best fastball as the Chiefs were missing three injured starters in receivers Rashee Rice (right knee) and Marquise Brown (left shoulder) and running back Isiah Pacheco (broken right leg).

Mahomes used every other pitch in his arsenal to help the Chiefs' offense. He completed a pass to eight teammates, his changeup established his connection with tight end Travis Kelce, and his slider was comparable to weaponizing rookie receiver Xavier Worthy's speed.

“It was cool to get those guys going,” Mahomes said. “It’s going to stay that way until we start getting some of these people back. Everyone will have to attack and play.”

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Even pieces that are not designed. Late in the second quarter, Kelce used his creativity to assist Mahomes, improvising when no one, not even his teammates, expected him to. On a third-and-22 snap, Kelce caught a short pass in the middle of the field and then went sideways – causing the surprised crowd to erupt in a roar – to running back Samaje Perine, who finished the play with a gain of another 15 yards. The Chiefs then converted the fourth-and-1 play to score another short field goal from kicker Harrison Butker.

“I shake my head because I told him before the game that I was going to throw it to you so we could get in field goal range,” Mahomes said of Kelce. “It’s like I’m talking to (my daughter) Sterling. This is Travis. He is a special player. As long as he does it and it works, no one will say anything.”

Kelce with the pitch on 3rd and 22nd 😂

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– NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2024

The pitch that outsmarted the Saints (2-3) the most was Mahomes' curveball – he connected with seven-year veteran receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for seven completions.

Without Rice, the Chiefs were expected to increase the snaps of Smith-Schuster and seven-year veteran Justin Watson against the Saints.

The New England Patriots released the 27-year-old Smith-Schuster in early August. In 11 games last season for the Patriots, he had 29 receptions for 260 yards and one touchdown. However, the Chiefs signed Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal a few weeks later because coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy know exactly how to use him in their offense as a possession receiver who can gobble up zone coverage with Mahomes and run routes along Kelce. The question was: Could Smith-Schuster be as reliable in 2022 as he was with the Chiefs?

As the starter in place of Rice, Smith-Schuster was a revelation for the Chiefs, posting his best performance of the season with a game-high 130 receiving yards.

“Andy Reid called and told me, 'We can give you a little package deal (as part of the offense),'” Smith-Schuster said. “Even if I come back to play here, that was fine with me. I was fine with just being a leader in the (receiver) room and trying to help our young guys do everything right.

“If the opportunity presents itself, I would like to get involved. I love adversity. I love being down. I love the doubts. I always bet on myself. I came here (in 2022) on a one-year contract and it worked out. It was a no-brainer to come back here and I love the pressure that comes with relying on me for my teammates.”

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Mahomes and Smith-Schuster's only major mistake came late in the third quarter. Smith-Schuster dropped a pass near the goal line that would have given the Chiefs a commanding 16-point lead. Smith-Schuster ran on a slant from the Saints' 2-yard line, and Mahomes' pass bounced from his hands into those of former Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who returned the interception 37 yards.

The Saints scored their second touchdown following the Chiefs' giveaway. But Mahomes and Smith-Schuster responded well and scored the biggest one-play gain of the game on their next drive. Smith-Schuster was able to gain a 50-yard lead in the middle of the field after executing a clever dig route that caused safety Tyrann Mathieu to slip and fall to the turf.

50 yard completion for JuJu and he has 117 yards on 6 catches!

📺: #NOvsKC on ESPN
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– NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2024

Reid helped the Chiefs overcome their red zone woes by offering a creative play to end the drive. In a full-house backfield, Kelce took the shotgun snap and passed the ball to the speedy Worthy, who darted into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown.

“He has a good feel for the whole concept of the game and knows how to get into the open spots,” Mahomes said of Smith-Schuster. “He has a good understanding of my timing, so I can hit him early in some windows that aren't necessarily taught. They are learned simply through repetition.”

A few weeks ago, Mahomes planned a quick family vacation during the Chiefs' bye week. With the Chiefs entering their off week a perfect 5-0 and the Royals two wins shy of advancing to the ALCS, Mahomes acknowledged his plans may have to change.

The Royals host the Yankees on Wednesday night at Kauffman for Game 3. Mahomes plans to wear a Royals jersey and attend the game.

“That’s the plan,” he said, smiling. “It's the bye week, so (wife) Brittany's vacation and my getting to the Royals game will definitely be a hassle.”

(Photo: Denny Medley / Imagn Images)