With Patrick Mahomes at the helm, the Chiefs are certainly facing significant challenges this season on the offensive front. The defending champs have already lost four games this season and are struggling to keep up with the AFC frontrunners. Their points per game have also seen a huge decline of five points.
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Both fans and pundits have been very vocal about the Chiefs’ struggle this season. The blame mostly fell on the receiving corps, as there were more than a few game-winning drops.
Former NFL executive turned media analyst Michael Lombardi recently shared his two cents about the Chiefs during his time on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’. He shed light on how the team could not keep up against a good score this season. In his view, the team is really feeling Tyreek Hill’s absence.
Michael Lombardi Feels the Chiefs Are Different, Even With Patrick Mahomes
The former football executive added that the Chiefs are currently 0-4 against the teams that managed to score above 20 points. He feels that the offense cannot find success this season, even if the fans remain hopeful.
He further added that the receiving responsibilities mostly rely on Travis Kelce, which is bad for the team. Kelce has also faced challenges and is down a full yard per catch this season, despite a higher target percentage. Michael Lombardi expressed that Kelce’s below-average performance comes from insufficient support from the receiving corps, or perhaps the age is starting to take a toll on the star TE.
“They are 0-4 this season when their opponents score more than twenty points, straight up and against the spread. They are not the same Chiefs offense. We keep thinking it’s gonna turn around but it’s not,” Michael Lombardi said. “And a lot of it is because so much is placed on Kelce.”
The former NFL executive has certainly raised some valid points. During the Super Bowl LVII rematch between the Chiefs and the Eagles, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropped a game-winning pass from Patrick Mahomes in the last minutes of the clash. There were a total of five incomplete passes in that game, which could have sealed the victory for the Chiefs.
While it is easy to bash the wide receivers, it’s worth noting that these players are learning to spread their wings. This is the debut season for both Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross. Skyy Moore, on the other hand, is playing his second season in the NFL. Tyreek Hill could have excelled alongside Travis, but it is now completely out of the picture.
The Chiefs must have a lookout for receivers like Devante Adams or DeAndre Hopkins in the next season to finally address the issue in the receiving room.
