The Kansas City Chiefs went into halftime of their Super Bowl rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles looking like the best team in the NFL. As Patrick Mahomes walked off the field with a loss on Monday night, many wondered if the Chiefs have the wide receivers to compete for the Lombardi Trophy.
After taking a 17-7 halftime lead over Philadelphia, the Chiefs’ offense was shut out in the second half of their 21-17 loss. Kansas City turned the football over twice and went 2-for-4 in the red zone, but the persistent issue with this passing attack has been the Chiefs’ receiving corps.
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On Monday, Kansas City’s wide receivers dropped five passes for the second time in a primetime game. No drop proved more costly than the ball that slipped through wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s hands with under 2 minutes left, wiping out a potential game-winning touchdown.
Many on social media were quick to blame Valdes-Scantling and the Chiefs’ receivers for another loss. It was the third time this year – NFL Kickoff loss to Detroit Lions and Oct. 29 loss to the Denver Broncos – where mistakes by Kansas City’s receivers proved costly. However, the face of the Chiefs’ franchise shouldered some of the blame for the missed wide-open touchdown.
“They triple-teamed Travis [Kelce] so I went to the guy that won downfield and Marquez won. He just didn’t come away with the ball. I could probably have thrown it a little shorter, he was that open.”
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s dropped game-winning touchdown
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Mahomes has defended his teammates the entire season. After the Chiefs dropped five passes in the season-opening loss to Detroit, the two-time Super Bowl champion took the blame for the defeat and expressed confidence in the young receivers. At every hurdle this passing offense has since encountered, Mahomes has publicly backed his pass-catchers. However, there are clear frustrations in Kansas City and the issues go much deeper than dropped passes.
Examining the Kansas City Chiefs’ issues at wide receiver
Kansas City won the Super Bowl without Tyreek Hill, proving Mahomes doesn’t necessarily need an All-Pro wide receiver to win and play at an MVP-caliber level. However, the Chiefs also lost JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason and the young wide receivers haven’t developed like the franchise hoped.
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Kansas City Chiefs receiving stats
- Drops: 26 (1st in NFL)
- Incomplete Passes from Drops: 21 percent (1st in NFL)
- Leading Wide Receiver: Rashee Rice – 420 receiving yards (59th in NFL)
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Several metrics capture just how bad the Chiefs’ receiving corps has been this season. Entering Week 13, per Player Profiler, Kansas City’s wideouts are tracked as being some of the worst in the NFL and creating separation from coverage.
| Player | Yards per Route Run | Route Win rate | Average Cushion |
| Rashee Rice | 2.41 (13th) | 51.7 (21st) | 5.34 yards (49th) |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling | 0.97 (85th) | 43.3% (70th) | 5.42 (40th) |
| Skyy Moore | 1.04 (81st) | 40.5% (90th) | 4.87 (74th) |
| Justin Watson | 1.74 (42nd) | 39.9% (92nd) | 5.26 (54th) |
| Kadarius Toney | 1.40 (59th) | 50.6% (31st) | 4.10 (97th) |
This isn’t just about drops. If it was, Kansas City’s offense would be even a bit more effective than it is currently. The inability of the Chiefs’ wide receivers to create consistent separation, forcing Mahomes to buy more time in the pocket and often scramble for positive yardage is the bigger problem.
Unfortunately, this was also easy to see coming even in training camp. The New York Giants traded Toney away because he was a below-average route runner who couldn’t do anything outside of working underneath. Valdes-Scantling’s reputation with the Green Bay Packers was a vertical threat who made the occasional splash play and had a tendency to drop some big passes. Meanwhile, Moore and Watson haven’t become anything more than substitute-caliber receivers.
Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach bet everything on Mahomes’ unprecedented skills and a 34-year-old Travis Kelce to carry this entire aerial attack. Even when Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins became available this offseason in free agency and when quality receivers were made available at the NFL trade deadline, Kansas City stuck with its guys. It might ultimately be the reason they don’t win it all this season.
