Patrick Mahomes started off his 2023 season in a disappointing fashion after losing to the Detroit Lions. One of the biggest factors for the loss of the Chiefs is believed to be WR Kadarius Toney who dropped multiple catches throughout the game. Mahomes, after the game addressed the situation by talking about Toney.
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In his post-game press conference, Patrick Mahomes reacted to the disastrous performance of Kadarius Toney. Throughout the offseason, the Chiefs had expressed high hopes for Kadarius Toney, touting him as a potential No. 1 receiver. However, Toney’s meniscus injury during training camp seemed to have impacted his performance to some extent.
Patrick Mahomes Believes in Kadarius Toney
The outing by Kadarius Toney in the season opener turned into a nightmare. Chiefs WR caught just one pass for a single yard and registered multiple dropped balls. This even included one that ultimately led to an interception return touchdown for Lions rookie safety Brian Branch. It was a frustrating performance by Toney and Patrick Mahomes did address the issue. In the post-game conference, Mahomes said,
“Yeah, I mean, I have trust in KT. He missed a lot of training camp. He wanted to play and fought rehab hard so he could play. Stuff is not always going to go your way. Obviously, he would’ve wanted to catch a few of those in the game but I have trust that he’s going to be that guy that I go to in those crucial moments, and he’s going to make the catch and win us some seasons like he did last year.”
If Jordan Dajani from CBS Sports is to be believed, then from 2021, Toney qualifies as one of the highest drop rate players (9.7%). The Chiefs faced a challenging game marked by numerous dropped passes and costly penalties. In the end, it resulted in their narrow one-point loss (21-20)to the Lions in the season opener.
Andy Reid is Positive About Chiefs’ Future
There’s no doubt that Lions’ win over Chiefs is an upset. In the wake of the disappointing loss to the Lions, Chiefs HC Andy Reid addressed the media. Reid took full responsibility for the team’s performance. The head coach acknowledged that the Lions had done well, however, he needed to shoulder the blame for what he considered a somewhat embarrassing showing by the Chiefs. He said to the media,
“Listen, the Lions did a heck of a job. They capitalized on a couple of things, and we’ve got to fix those. I liked some of the efforts, though. I liked what I saw on the defensive side for the most part. There were some good things on offense, we’ve just got to be more consistent. I’ll take that. I’ll take this, the offensive part.”
The Seattle Seahawks are the next opponents for Andy Reid and the Chiefs. The KC coach would be hoping to figure out and solve the issues before heading on to the field next time again. While the loss was undoubtedly frustrating, the Kansas City Chiefs will surely be looking to find another gear to get back on track.
![Andy Reid [Left]; Chad Johnson [Center]; Eric Bieniemy [Right]](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2024/12/f8730a64-untitled-design-290.jpg?format=auto&w=384&q=75)
