While the Indianapolis Colts’ offense is drawing headlines, it’s the ‘mad scientist’ on their defense who truly has the Kansas City Chiefs’ attention. Ahead of the Week 12 clash, Mahomes and Colts DC Lou Anarumo go way back. The 59-year-old mastermind is the guy who shattered Kansas City’s Super Bowl hopes in the 2021-2022 season. With the rivalry tied up and round 7 on deck, Mahomes’ Chiefs receive a 4-word message before setting the tone for Sunday.

“Just Play Mistake Free,” a Chiefs source told The Athletic.

Kansas just can’t seem to crack third down this season, and it’s becoming a major drag on their offense. As the Chiefs gear up for their showdown with the Colts, it’ll be interesting to see how they approach this area.

The Chiefs have dropped from the top spot in third-down conversions in 2024 to ninth this season. Against the Buffalo Bills in the Week 9 matchup, the Chiefs went 3 of 13 on third down while Buffalo cashed in at 7 of 12. The story doesn’t stop there.

The self-inflicted penalties have been killing them, too, adding even more frustration to an offense that’s already fighting uphill. In their week 11 loss to the Broncos, for example. The Chiefs racked up 10 penalties, several coming at the absolute worst times and killing their momentum. This would be something they can’t afford with the Colts, who are arguably the best team in the NFL right now. Coach Andy Reid himself agreed to this.

“When you do it in crucial situations, that gets you, and then it’s tough to overcome at times,” Reid said. “So, whether it’s a third down and short or whether you’re down at the two-yard line and you got to back up, those type of things come back and haunt you when you’re playing good teams. You might be able to overcome it against a not very good team.”

But this wasn’t the only message that Mahomes and the Chiefs received.

Patrick Mahomes told to quit chasing perfection

Following their fifth one-score defeat this season, the Chiefs locker room was not happy. Their offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy, spoke about what needs to happen after the loss.

“Don’t try to be perfect with it…Sometimes just put it in the vicinity and let your guy go make a play,” the OC recently said.

This happened after the Week 11 loss, where Mahomes overthrew a deep ball to Xavier Worthy. The OC acknowledged that there were two overthrows in that game, and while he loved the mentality behind it, it was about Mahomes trusting himself and giving a chance to the players to catch the ball.

While Mahomes’ talent is undeniable, trying to be perfect on every throw can cost drives. Even Mahomes himself agreed that deep passes don’t need to be perfect every time.

“I think what I’ve learned from just playing for a while now is that those deep passes, like I said, those deep passes don’t have to be perfect,” Mahomes said after the game. “I think we always want to make the perfect throw.”

For now, the Chiefs know time is running out. With the playoff picture tightening and their margin for error shrinking by the week, Kansas City cannot afford another setback. A win now is less about momentum and more about survival, and Mahomes and company will need to steady the ship before the postseason slips out of reach.