On the surface, things look swell for the Kansas City Chiefs. They are 5-1. They’ve won five straight games. They sit in first place in the AFC West.
However, if you have been watching the Chiefs this season, you’ll understand that things don’t seem quite right with the defending Super Bowl champions.
We are accustomed to seeing Kansas City have an explosive offense led by Patrick Mahomes. Year in and year out, teams have dreaded going up against Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense since Mahomes became the full-time starting quarterback in 2018, and with good reason.
But in 2023, Kansas City’s offense has stalled.
The Chiefs are coming off of a 19-8 victory over the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, and afterward, Mahomes expressed some frustration for the lack of scoring, crediting the defense for getting the job done.
It marked the second time in three weeks that a key Kansas City offensive player was left feeling underwhelmed after a game, as tight end Travis Kelce was agitated with the club’s offensive output in a 23-20 win over the New York Jets in Week 4.
The Chiefs are averaging 24.5 points per game, which ranks a solid ninth in the NFL. However, that number is a bit skewed by their 41-point outburst in a win over the Chicago Bears in Week 3. In Kansas City’s other five contests, it is logging just 21.2 points per game, which is actually a lower number than the Broncos team the Chiefs just held to eight points in Week 6.
The Bears win also marks the only time Kansas City has eclipsed the 30-point mark this season. Additionally, the Chiefs rank just 17th in the NFL in red zone efficiency (they ranked second in that category in 2022).
What’s clear is that Kansas City is severely lacking in its receiving corps, and it is inhibiting the offense as a whole. Mahomes owns a passer rating of 95.7, and while that is certainly good, it is the lowest number of his career since he became a starter five years ago. He is on pace to throw 31 touchdowns, which would be his lowest mark since 2019. Plus, he is on track to toss up a career-high 14 interceptions.
While Mahomes surely deserves some blame for the Chiefs’ lackluster aerial attack, the front office neglecting the wide receiver position is the primary issue.
Since Kansas City traded away Tyreek Hill a couple of offseasons ago, it has never been able to replace his production. Yes, the Chiefs won a Super Bowl last year, but Mahomes at least had JuJu Smith-Schuster to target. Who does he have this season? Rashee Rice? Justin Watson? Some loved Skyy Moore going into 2023, but he has amassed a grand total of 11 catches through six games.
Of course, Mahomes can fall back on Kelce, but Kelce is a tight end and is not exactly a guy who stretches the field. Plus, good defenses can and will devise a gameplan around Kelce to limit him, especially when there are no real receivers to truly fear in Kansas City’s offense.
For the first time Mahomes took over in 2018, the Chiefs are relying an awful lot on their running game. Isiah Pacheco has been terrific in the early going and is on pace to become the club’s first 1,000-yard rusher in the Mahomes era. But can Kansas City truly depend on Pacheco to carry the load for the offense come playoff time?
The Chiefs are getting away with this now against relatively weak opponents. Their last four wins have come against teams with a combined record of 5-16. But what happens in January when they come against some of the best squads in the AFC? Heck, they have a decent test with the Los Angeles Chargers coming up in Week 7, and they also have the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills on tap between Nov. 5 and Dec. 10.
Kansas City seriously needs to add at least one receiver between now and the Oct. 31 trade deadline. It seems pretty clear that not even Mahomes can do this alone. The Chiefs may have been able to win without Hill last season, but it seems unlikely that they can win without any dependable wide outs at all.
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