Looking in from the outside, it’s fair to say the Kansas City Chiefs need immediate help at the wide receiver position. The typically statistically-dominant Patrick Mahomes ranks 12th in passing yards per game (247.0) while tied for the 19th-most passing touchdowns. With six interceptions in five weeks, Mahomes went into Week 6 throwing more turnovers than any other quarterback league-wide.
To make matters worse, the Chiefs will be without wideouts Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown for the remainder of the season.
Receivers Davante Adams and Amari Cooper were on the move this week, and both stayed in the AFC. Neither joined Kansas City’s football team, however.
Patrick Mahomes is more than happy with that development.
“I have extreme confidence with the guys that are on the football field,” the two-time MVP noted. “They’ve won games, they’ve won Super Bowls, they’ve made plays in big moments and Brett Veach has done a great job of bringing players in that can step up whenever their number is called.”
Veach, the Chiefs’ general manager, has indeed brought in guys who are legitimate contributors. There’s a reason Kansas City has started the season 5-0 in addition to winning the league’s last two Super Bowls.
Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs’ 28th-overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, has compiled 179 receiving yards on 12 receptions with two touchdowns. The rookie has added another 42 yards on the ground with an additional two scores.
JuJu Smith-Schuster has totaled 147 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine catches.
“Every time I step on that football field, I feel like we have the best ability to win, and I think that’s a credit to Brett Veach and coach [Andy] Reid bringing in guys that really get after it and put in the work to be great every single day.”
Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce connection starting to heat up
The 2024 NFL season started slow for superstar Travis Kelce, but Weeks 4 and 5 have presented a much more familiar story. The nine-time Pro Bowler totaled eight catches and 69 yards through Weeks 1-3 combined; he’s matched those numbers in each individual contest since.
In Week 4, Kelce hauled in seven passes for 89 yards. He upped his receptions to nine during Week 5’s contest, although his yardage fell to 70.
The deadly connection between Mahomes and Kelce couldn’t have picked back up at a better time. The duo began finding their mojo in Week 4, the same week Rice suffered his season-ending knee injury.
Although losing both Rice and Brown is far from ideal, Kansas City was able to lift the Lombardi Trophy in 2023 without Brown on the roster, and again in 2022 without both Brown and Rice as Chiefs.
Kansas City will need Kelce to keep producing at a high level if they wish to achieve that same success this year.
*Top Photo: Sarah Stier/ Getty Images
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