Patrick Mahomes tries to ‘cherish’ every remaining game with Travis Kelce

Patrick Mahomes says he’s trying to “cherish” every moment with longtime teammate Travis Kelce in the midst of what could be the NFL’s final season.

Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ crushing 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, Dec. 7, a morose Mahomes, 30, spoke candidly about the possibility of the team missing the NFL playoffs this season and whether he could play his final games with 36-year-old Kelce.

“Every season I’ve had with him over the last few years, I try to cherish it because you never know [if this will be Kelce’s last season]” Mahomes said after Sunday night’s loss, which dropped the Chiefs to 6-7, eliminating them from winning the AFC West for a 10th straight season and giving them an even longer chance at making the playoffs with a wild card berth.

“He got in great shape this year and he played great football,” Mahomes said of his longtime teammate after the game. “He’ll have the opportunity to do whatever he wants after this season, but I know one thing: He’ll give everything he has for the rest of this season to try to give us a chance to make the playoffs. We know the odds are getting lower and lower.”

The Chiefs now have just a 15% chance of making the playoffs, according to NFL.com. ESPN has the Chiefs’ odds even lower, at 12%.

Kansas City would likely need to win the remainder of its regular season games while also needing the Los Angeles Charges and Indianapolis Colts to lose multiple games to be able to make the playoffs.

“You just get late in the season and you’re not going to get those opportunities back,” Mahomes said after Sunday’s loss to the Texans. “They’re a good team, but we had chances. We didn’t execute at the right time to win.”

Added Mahomes: “We’ve been close all season. You’ve got to go out there and make it happen.”

“We just have to execute at a higher level in those big moments,” the quarterback said. “That’s something we haven’t done this year.”

Mahomes and Kelce have played alongside each other since 2017, when the quarterback was drafted by the Chiefs and joined the team’s longtime tight end on offense. Together, the duo spearheaded one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history, winning three Super Bowls and appearing in five of the last six – a stretch that ranks among the most dominant runs in American sports history.

Despite their odds of success in what could be a breakthrough season for Kelce, the Chiefs are still aware they have a chance.

“We can control how we finish the season,” defensive lineman Chris Jones also said after Sunday night’s game. “God willing, we’re going to find a way to get to the playoffs. We still have an opportunity, man, even if it’s slim. For us, the door is still open.”