"You can't throw like that" Patrick Mahomes admits his mistake after an interception against the Chargers while Travis Kelce was open

The Kansas City Chiefs earned their fifth consecutive victory by defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 22-6, but Patrick Mahomes ended with a play he will surely prefer to forget. The quarterback acknowledged his mistake after throwing an interception in a clear situation to extend his team's lead.

The play drew even more attention when the replays showed Travis Kelce with space near the sideline inside the end zone. Mahomes, however, kept his eyes on Andrew Armstrong while trying to extend the play and ended up putting the ball into the hands of the Chargers' defense.

Mahomes admits his mistake: "I can't throw like that"

The interception came with the Chiefs ahead 9-3, on a third-and-goal from Los Angeles' 2-yard line. Kansas City had regained possession after an interception of Justin Herbert and had a great opportunity to extend its lead even further.

Mahomes rolled out of the pocket to try to extend the play and looked for Andrew Armstrong, but he was hit as he released the ball. The pass fell short and Cam Hart came up with the interception in the end zone.

After the play, Mahomes took responsibility. The quarterback acknowledged that the play became complicated when he left the initial structure and that his final decision was not the right one.

"You can't throw the ball like that," Mahomes admitted after the game. 

The play ended up being one of the few blemishes in a performance in which he completed 23 of 30 passes for 272 yards, although he didn't manage any passing touchdowns.

Replays showed Kelce open

Kelce had space near the sideline inside the end zone, but Mahomes didn’t see him and threw the pass to Armstrong.

The tight end was once again an important piece for Kansas City and finished with five receptions for 53 yards.

Mahomes, however, did not need a big aerial output for the Chiefs to dominate the game. The ground attack was once again led by Kenneth Walker III, who rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

The mistake didn't change the course of the game

Mahomes' interception had no impact on the scoreboard. The Chargers failed to turn the takeaway into points, and Kansas City remained in control until the end.

The Chiefs went into halftime with a 19-3 lead and ultimately prevailed 22-6. The defense also stepped up again: it held Los Angeles to 259 total yards and allowed only two field goals.

Mahomes could therefore afford a less brilliant night than usual. His only interception stood as a warning sign within a convincing victory that kept Kansas City unbeaten at 5-0.

For the quarterback, the conclusion was simple: the outcome was positive, but next time he will have to read better a play in which, according to the replays, he had a much clearer alternative with Kelce.