Why Chiefs Won’t Panic if Trailing Eagles

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Before Josh Allen and J.J. McCarthy authored storybook comebacks in Week 1, Patrick Mahomes had the market cornered.

And while Mahomes fell short of guiding the Chiefs back from a two-score deficit in a 27-21 loss to the Chargers, he still has some impressive numbers in that category.

Since he took over Kansas City’s full-time starting role in 2018, Mahomes is now 19-16 (.543) when trailing by 10-plus points at any time in a regular-season or postseason game. All other NFL quarterbacks combined over that period entered the season with a paltry .152 winning percentage under those conditions.

Patrick Mahomes is 19-15 (.559) in regular season and playoffs after falling behind by double digits. All other QBs have a .152 win % after trailing by 10+ since Mahomes became starter in 2018
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) September 6, 2025

So, should the Chiefs fall behind against the Eagles in Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch (3:25 p.m. CT, FOX/WDAF Channel 4, 96.5 The Fan), hope will be abundant on the Kansas City sideline.

Aug 22, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) runs for a first down against the Chicago Bears during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

“There's always confidence anytime we're down, up, whatever it is in the game,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said Friday. “We always feel like on the defense, as long as we get the ball back to him, we always have a shot.

“And I think he's been one of those quarterbacks that, year in, year out, he's brought us back. He's won games for us, and it's a good feeling, and it's a big confidence boost that you can go out there, make a few plays, and once the ball is back in his hands, we have a good shot.”

Coaches factor in, too

Should the Eagles fall behind, they’ll have a good shot, too. That’s because head coach Nick Sirianni owns a 12-11 (.522) career record in games when the Eagles are needing a game-winning drive. That’s the NFL’s second-best mark among active coaches in those situations (when tied or down by one score or less in the fourth quarter or overtime), trailing Kevin O’Connell (16-11, .593).

Active HC records for 4QC/GWD opportunities.

KOC is a witch. pic.twitter.com/gssOzbHhqb
— Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) September 10, 2025

Andy Reid in those situations ranks sixth at 83-95-1 (.466). And because both head coaches on Sunday have proven their penchant for comeback victories, don’t be surprised to see a walk-off win by someone around 6:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.

Andy Reid, Nick Sirianni — Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni greet each other after Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in 2023. | Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No one expects comfortable leads

Make no mistake, Mahomes would much rather take a comfortable lead into the final two minutes, looking at the scoreboard and seeing no timeouts next to the Eagles.

And, after what Philadelphia did to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, a comfortable win would be the ultimate satisfaction, even though no one in Kansas City is expecting it.

“This is a really good football team,” he said Wednesday. “I mean, there's no way around it. They're good at every aspect, on defense and obviously on offense as well. And it'll take our best football.

“And so, you learn from the mistakes that you make. That's part of playing the game, is you learn from your failures like you learn from the positive things that you do, and you try to come back and play better football this week. And it's gonna take our best football to go out there and get a win.”

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