Last Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs appeared on track to win their matchup with the Buffalo Bills before Kadarius Toney was called for an offsides penalty that ultimately cost his team the game. As the game’s final seconds wound off the clock, a furious Patrick Mahomes could be seen yelling at officials, making comments to Josh Allen on the field, and much more.
When it came time to address the media, Chiefs players and coaches couldn’t let it go. They felt the NFL made a massive mistake in either not warning Toney he was offsides or by calling the penalty in such a crucial moment in the first place.
Yet, Toney clearly violated the rule, meaning the refs were right to throw the flag, even if it wiped away an incredible play, which included a fantastic effort from tight end Travis Kelce, who ended up lateralling the ball to Toney to help reach paydirt.
Now, days after the Chiefs have had a chance to settle down after the controversial play, Kelce stood up for his teammate in a big way by calling Toney one of Kansas City’s “best players.”
“You can say what you want about him being in the neutral zone here and there. He lined up like that all game, didn’t get warned, blah blah blah, don’t call it in that position. You can’t put it in the refs’ hands in that position. We talk about plays like this all the time, especially in critical moments. I love KT. If we get the opportunity again I’m going to throw that s— right to his chest again. Hopefully it gets there. I got all the faith in the world in that dude. He’s one of our best players. He’s one of the best players we’ve got with the ball in his hands. You turn on the film, you watch what he does when the ball is in his hands and you can’t tell me you don’t want that guy on your team. Everybody hating on KT right now, I’m not trying to hear that. You can f—ing miss me with it. I’m trusting in one-nine every time he’s out on the field.”
Travis Kelce on trusting Kadarius Toney
When listing the Chiefs’ best players, Toney is far from the first who comes to mind on a roster that includes the likes of Mahomes, Kelce, and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones. Does Toney have traits that could make him one of the best? Sure, as Kelce mentioned, he is one of the best players the Chiefs have once he has the ball in his hands. Toney can make defenders miss with the best of them, but at what point do his on-field mistakes outweigh his potential?
The New York Giants moved on from their former first-round pick after just 12 games. Meanwhile, Toney is seventh on the Chiefs in targets this season despite playing in 12 of 13 games. In other words, the team doesn’t feel like he’s one of their best players, based on his target share in a Chiefs offense that lacks reliable weapons.
Related: Is Patrick Mahomes not No. 1? See where the Chiefs QB lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings