The Chiefs are coming off their first single-digit scoring performance since Week 7, 2021, causing some to question the caliber of the team’s wide receivers — even as Kansas City stands at 6-2.
Tight end Travis Kelce is not among the naysayers.
“This team has every piece that it needs to be great,” he said Friday, per ESPN. “Everybody can talk about whatever they want to talk about.
“I know that we’ve got a team that can put points up, and I know we’ve got the coaches to be able to put us in the great positions to succeed, and that’s where we’re moving going forward, and it just takes guys to lock in and just be ready for those big-time moments when we need them most.”
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Kelce, along with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, are the greatest pieces of the offense and the ones holding up their end of the bargain.
Mahomes ranks in the top five in both passing yards (2,257) and touchdowns (15), while Kelce has performed to his usual standard with 54 catches for 583 yards and four touchdowns, all of which lead Kansas City pass catchers.
But even if Kelce is correct in claiming the Chiefs have the other pieces to be great around their two cornerstones, those haven’t jelled perfectly yet.
The offense overall is operating with its weakest bite in years, currently ranked 12th in scoring after finishing sixth or better in every season of the Mahomes era. The Chiefs are averaging 23.4 points per game compared to 29.2 last year.
Some of the receivers’ shortcomings came into focus during the Week 8 loss to the Broncos, but it’s an even bigger topic of conversation thanks to Kansas City’s upcoming game against the high-octane Dolphins and wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who spent his first six seasons with the Chiefs without ever missing a Pro Bowl.
Kansas City’s current leading wide receiver is rookie Rashee Rice, who has 361 yards and three scores on 30 receptions, but he’s also pacing the corps in drops with five. The position group has 15, and the Chiefs overall have combined for 24 drops through eight games.
No WR has broken out as a sure thing for Mahomes when Kelce is otherwise covered, and none of the other names — Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson, among others — have reached 20 catches near the midway point of the season.
The Chiefs did make a deal with the New York Jets to bring back Mecole Hardman, but were otherwise content to sit out the trade deadline.
Like Kelce, they have faith in the roster.
Piecing things back together in Germany poses the next hurdle to restoring the faith of any disbelievers on the outside.
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