Mahomes takes blame for collapse vs. Bengals: 'I put that on myself'

The Cincinnati Bengals stunned the Kansas City Chiefs with a 27-24 overtime victory on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, despite the hosts jumping out to an 18-point advantage in the first half. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes got off to a hot start, tossing all three of his touchdown passes in the first two frames, but the Cincinnati defense turned things around after intermission, allowing only three points between the third and fourth quarters and overtime.

Mahomes tossed an interception in the third quarter that led to a Bengals touchdown, and his pick in the extra session led to the game-winning field goal. Following the loss, the 2018 NFL MVP took the blame for the collapse.

"They just had a spy on me, for the most part, and I've usually done a good job getting around that guy, but they had a good game plan," Mahomes said, per The Athletic. "They were doing a lot of similar stuff in the first half, we were just executing at a higher level. They stayed with it. But I mean, I gotta be better. ... I mean when you're up 21-3 at one point in the game, you can't lose it, and I put that on myself."

The four-time Pro Bowler finished the day 26-for-39 with 275 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, while adding three carries for 19 yards. Mahomes' counterpart -- Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow -- was 23-for-38 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, adding 25 rushing yards on five carries.

The Bengals will face the winner of the NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13.