IN PHOTOS: Patrick Mahomes and wife Brittany sparkle in stylish New Year celebration post-Bengals triumph
Patrick Mahomes had one last gift for 2023 - his Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals 25-17 to clinch the AFC West for the eighth straight year.
He had just a single touchdown pass - an eight-yarder to sophomore running back Isiah Pacheco in the first quarter. But that didn't matter, as kicker Harrison Butker hit six straight field goals to put the game away.
Later, the reigning double MVP ushered in 2024 with his wife Brittany:
His mother Randi and younger brother Jackson were also present:
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs aiming to be more consistent as playoffs loom
With the rest of the AFC West ineligible for further contention, Patrick Mahomes can sit out the Kansas City Chiefs' season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.
He can now focus on the playoffs, where the Chiefs will aim to become the first consecutive Super Bowl champions since Tom Brady's New England Patriots in 2004.
In the meantime, their focus is on improving their on-field consistency, as he shared on Sunday:
"We have to continue to get better and better. We understand that. The motto of this season at the end of it has been a good game and a bad game, so how can we sustain this momentum and get (it) going into the playoffs?"
Julian Edelman thinks Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs' offensive struggles will cost them in playoffs
One former opponent thinks that the defending Super Bowl champions may not be able to go all the way, considering their current form.
On Sunday, former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, at Fox's pregame show with Charissa Thompson, said about whether Mahomes and the Chiefs could overcome their offensive woes and repeat:
"Right now I do not believe they will. ... We're at the point of the season where you are what you are. They consistently haven't been getting play out of their skill positions on offence."
He added that the team's propensity for dropped passes has soured him on them:
"Right now, these drops, it's starting to add up. If they find a way to get it done it wouldn't surprise me but right now I can't put my money on it."
The Chiefs-Chargers game kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday on CBS.