The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a two-game losing streak in Weeks 7 and 8 before recovering with a blowout 35-12 win against the New York Jets in Week 9. Moments from the game were featured in short clips of the “Inside the NFL on X” show, revealing exclusive mic’d-up audio, unseen game angles, and game edits, many of which focused on quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The clip posted by the official NFL Films X handle on Nov. 11 showed the moment Mahomes sustained a hit on his elbow and walked off the field, grimacing in pain. However, the microphones caught him insisting that offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy call their usual offensive plays without modifying or adjusting them on his account.

“Don’t be afraid to call it,” Mahomes told Bieniemy. “Call it like we’ve been calling it.”

Mahomes understood that changing the entire terminology and structure mid-game or on a short week caused more mental errors for the offensive line, receivers, and running backs. Sticking to familiar concepts also allowed skill-position players to maintain the rhythm of their blocks and run routes, which Mahomes felt was the key to winning the game.

The clip showed Mahomes hyping himself and his teammates throughout the game, urging them to play energetically. But disaster struck late in the second quarter, when Mahomes was tackled and pinned to the ground by Jets edge rusher David Bailey. The impact caused him to hurt the elbow of his throwing arm, and for a brief moment, it seemed the Chiefs were going to have to sub in backup QB Justin Fields. 

But the Chiefs’ starting quarterback returned to the game without missing a snap, reassuring his coaches and teammates that he was going to be fine. The clip even showed him throwing a couple of practice passes on the sidelines before stepping back onto the turf again.

“I’m good. I’m good. I’m gonna be good,” Mahomes could be heard saying after getting his elbow checked out. “Let’s get it, 87 (Travis Kelce). Let’s go. Let’s finish it.” 

His call to Kelce soon bore fruit, as a shovel toss to the veteran tight end resulted in a one-yard rushing touchdown during the third quarter. Mahomes continued to guide the Chiefs players, encouraging them to take accountability for every block, tackle, and rush, and celebrating every time the Chiefs broke through the defense and scored.

After the game, when Mahomes was asked about his elbow and his mindset right after he sustained the injury, his response showed his grit and his keen understanding of his own physical limits.

“If I’m able to play, I’m going to play,” Mahomes said. “That’s part of the game. It scares you in moments when you get some pains in certain areas of your body. Obviously, it didn’t feel great, but I was able to kind of get it worked on a little bit, especially at halftime, and go out there and play the rest of the game.” 

Despite his injury, Mahomes maintained a 74.2% pass completion rate during the Jets game, his third-highest this season, along with recording two touchdowns for 242 yards. Across his eight games this season, he has scored 14 touchdowns for 2037 yards, maintaining a 67.3% completion rate.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided an update on Mahomes’ elbow injury, calling it “day-to-day” and explaining that Mahomes was being treated for the injury at the Chiefs’ facility on Monday. 

“It was more positive news than negative news on Patrick,” Reid said Monday. “It looks like it’s just a matter of [getting] some rehab in there and getting rid of some of the soreness. We’ll just see where it goes from there. He’s in good spirits.” 

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also revealed that MRI scans conducted after the game had not shown any major damage to Mahomes’ elbow. But for now, the Chiefs will continue to monitor the quarterback ahead of their Week 10 road game against the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 15.