The Kansas City Chiefs offense is struggling more than ever during the Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes era.
There is no outsider who can help the Chiefs, who are 9-6. However, some players will play a larger role in the attack, while others will have a reduced role.
The receiver group clearly struggles in 2023, but Laci Rice, Justin Ross and Richie James are expected to be more involved in the offense heading into January and postseason play. This also indicates that Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney won’t have much of an impact on the offense going forward.
Valdez-Scantling was targeted only twice out of 58 routes it operated in the past two weeks. Toney has been sidelined for the past two weeks with a hip injury, and his role was expected to be reduced for several weeks due to poor play.
There is no move yet to reduce Mr. Tony’s position. As with the Giants, officials emphasize that he is not the bad guy. But mistakes abound. He dropped two passes, resulting in an interception by Mahomes.
Toney’s five drops are tied for 18th in the league among receivers. Of the 26 receivers with at least five drops this season, only Hunter Renfroe has fewer targets. Tony may end up taking on a role that involves more package plays.
Meanwhile, Rice leads a trio of receivers whose role should continue to increase in the coming weeks. Rice averaged 33 plays in his first 12 games, but averaged 54 plays in his final three games. His breakthrough came in Week 12 against the Raiders, where he had 10 catches for 107 yards and one touchdown, making him clearly Mahomes’ most reliable wide receiver target.
Ross was reinstated last week after being on the commissioner’s exempt list for six weeks due to a domestic assault arrest. He ran just his eight routes and caught his one ball thrown against Las Vegas.
And while James played 25 offensive snaps against the Raiders, he has played 26 snaps in the past four games combined.
On Saturday, the Chiefs also activated veteran receiver Mecole Hardman. The former Chief played the first half of the season with the Jets before returning to his old team, but was placed on injured reserve after just four games due to a thumb injury.
The Chiefs didn’t bounce back as much as expected after the bye, and a young receiver room and inexperience on the coaching staff led to a lack of growth. Eric Bieniemy’s attention to detail is clearly missing in Kansas City.
Mahomes’ frustration has been on display in recent weeks. And against the Raiders, his distrust of his receiving options was evident as he sprinted the most of his career trying to extend his play.
The Chiefs can clinch the AFC West with a win against the Bengals this week or losses to the Broncos and Raiders. Kansas City will likely host the wild card game as the No. 3 seed in the AFC.
Mahomes has never played in a road playoff game in his career.