Chiefs' Andy Reid defends Patrick Mahomes after collapse vs. Bengals

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemingly had the Kansas City Chiefs roughly two quarters away from a third consecutive Super Bowl trip when they held a 21-3 advantage over the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday's AFC Championship Game held at Arrowhead Stadium. However, Mahomes and company failed to find the end zone during the contest's second half, and the electric 26-year-old then threw an interception in overtime that ultimately allowed the Bengals to win via a walkoff 31-yard field goal.  

To his credit, Mahomes put the blame for Sunday's defeat on himself during his postgame comments, but head coach Andy Reid came to the signal-caller's defense on Monday. 

"I think he was one half away from going to his third Super Bowl in a row, and that's pretty impressive," Reid explained, according to Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "You've been around this a long time as a lot of us have, and that's pretty impressive. Most of these teams that are getting this far have good quarterbacks, that's just how it works. We're fortunate to have him. There's nobody looking at Pat Mahomes cross-eyed from our side, and I would anticipate our fans feel the same way."

Mahomes repeatedly made a mockery of record books over the past four seasons and will likely be a preseason favorite to earn Most Valuable Player honors come August. However, his last two playoff appearances have ended poorly per his standards, and he tossed a career-worst 13 interceptions during the past regular season. 

In short, everyone may want to pump the figurative brakes before crowning Mahomes the next Tom Brady, at least until after he adds a second title to his already impressive resume.