Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has one request after nail-biting win vs. Panthers

"You want to have some blowouts and be a little calmer in the fourth quarter," Mahomes said postgame, per The Athletic's Nate Taylor. "But I've always said it can be a good thing as you get to the playoffs, just knowing it you've been in those moments before and how to attack it play by play.

"I would say this more than anybody: I would love to win a game, not by the very last play."

The Chiefs, however, are making that a routine. Kansas City (10-1) has eight one-possession wins, including five on the game's final play.

The ability to win nail-biters is paramount in the postseason. When the Chiefs captured their second straight Super Bowl last season, they had three one-possession victories in the playoffs. Their struggles against the Panthers should still ring alarm bells. 

ESPN's Football Power Index rates Carolina (3-8) as the fourth-worst team in the NFL, but the Panthers didn't look overmatched against K.C. Second-year Panthers QB Bryce Young completed 21-of-35 passes for a season-high 263 yards and one TD. Carolina ranks second to last in the league in sacks (17), yet it recorded five in Sunday's loss. 

Taylor reported Mahomes typically converses with teammates following a win, but he didn't Sunday. Perhaps he was drained. Regardless, the Chiefs can't keep asking the two-time MVP to save them from defeat nearly every week.