For just the second time in the last 10 games, the Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) lost a game, falling on Sunday in heartbreaking fashion to the Tennessee Titans (8-6) after a game-winning 53-yard field goal connected as time expired, giving the Titans a 19-17 victory.
It's a game that's going challenge the resolve of a Chiefs team that has been tested plenty of times over the past few seasons, and they have always responded.
Both following the game and then again when he spoke with the media on Monday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid mentioned the inability of the offense to capitalize on the three turnovers forced by the defense and the lack of efficiency inside the red zone as just a few of the reasons why they weren't able to come away with a win on Sunday.
The Chiefs scored seven points off the three turnovers and finished 1 of 4 inside the red zone, including an interception in the end zone from Alex Smith on a pass intended for Jeremy Maclin midway through the third quarter.
These few things spread out over a handful of plays on Sunday proved to be the difference, and when asked after the game what his message to the team was in the locker room, Reid made it simple.
"You can sit here, point fingers and do all that stuff that bad teams do, or you fix the problems," Reid explained. "We have to make sure we do that. We're still in a good position; we have a good football team coming in here (next week) and we need to have a good week of practice. That's what's real.
"I have enough trust in this team that we'll do that."
While the Chiefs were unable to secure a playoff spot with a win on Sunday, the focus moving forward is already on the Denver Broncos, who travel to Arrowhead on Sunday night in a key divisional matchup that has playoff implications for both teams.
The Broncos are coming in off a 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots.
"Everything we want to achieve is still ahead of us," veteran Jeremy Maclin explained after the game. "We're still in a great position and we have to use that. This one hurts—this one feels like it's one that got away from us, but credit to them that they didn't stop fighting."
When asked what specifically the issue was on Sunday, Maclin agreed with Reid and said it was about lack of execution in the red zone and not taking advantage of the opportunities they were given.
"We had so many more opportunities there in the red zone but we just couldn't get points on the board and that ultimately cost us the game," Maclin, who finished with a season-high six catches for 82 yards, explained. "It was good to get out there and make some plays, but at the end of the day we have to do better.
"Everybody has to trust each other – the coaches and players and players and coaches. When you have opportunities to put somebody away, you have to do it."
"This is when we all need to come together," running back Charcandrick West added. "When people begin to doubt us, that's when we're at our best, so we'll rely on each other and we'll be ready for the Broncos next week."
Reid said on Monday afternoon that he expects this team to respond.
"I expect us to go back, work hard, get right back on it and fix the problems," Reid explained. "That's what you do. You're still sitting in a pretty good situation here. You're sitting here at 10-4 and everything is ahead of you and you have a great football team coming in that you have an opportunity to play.
"So you get yourself right and we'll go play."
"The playoffs start right now," Maclin added. "We have a Denver team, the defending champs, coming in next week and if we want to achieve what we want to achieve, we need to take care of them."
