In today’s NFL landscape, the Kansas City Chiefs pose the greatest threat to any franchise hoping to clinch a Super Bowl. The coach-QB duo of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid has led the team to great heights, currently on track to fight for their three-peat.
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However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Chiefs or their fanbase. For instance, the club once endured an entire season where their receiving corps failed to score a single touchdown.
Before the Mahomes era, QB Alex Smith was the talisman of the franchise. While Mahomes is known for his democratic distribution in play, Alex had a clear comfort zone. His ability to throw deep balls to his receivers wasn’t the greatest, so he often relied on easier solutions — short passes to running backs and tight ends.
Smith had satisfactory success over the years using this strategy, but things went extreme in the 2014 season when the receiving corps barely saw the ball coming toward them. In the 18 TDs that Smith scored that season, the receivers bafflingly had zero contributions.
Of the 18 total scores, five were passed to rookie tight end and future legend Travis Kelce, five to RB Jamal Charles, four to TE Tony Moeaki, and the rest to backup RBs Knile Davis, Anthony Sherman, and Joe McKnight.
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While the whole world plays football by making the most of their speedy wide receivers, the Chiefs’ receiving corps in 2014 of Dwayne Bowe, Frankie Hammond, De’Anthony Thomas, Donnie Avery, and Albert Wilson, did not have much attacking to do that season.
Unsurprisingly, this was a rare incident and was rightly registered in the history books for its absurdity.
Chiefs paid the price for not relying on their receivers
Having zero TDs across the entire receiving corps is an absurd record! In fact, as per history books, it is the first time in the last 50 years of the NFL that such an achievement was made possible. Sadly, this may have affected the Chiefs’ playoff chances that year.
After a stellar 2013 season where the Chiefs reached the playoffs in Smith and Reid’s debut season, expectations were high for a deeper postseason run. However, the QB’s one-dimensional approach to passing was seemingly figured out by almost everyone, and they adjusted accordingly.
As a result, the Chiefs and Andy Reid’s men ended the season with a final tally of 9-7, while the Broncos won the AFC West division with a 12-4 record.
What’s baffling, however, is the fact that even Dwayne Bowe couldn’t muster up a touchdown pass that season. For context, the star wide receiver made heads turn in 2010 by registering a whopping 15 receiving TDs that season in Kansas City.
That said, Chiefs Kingdom must now be elated that their dark days are behind them. From worrying about whether a receiver would score a TD to now wondering if their team will complete a three-peat, it’s the dream of every long-suffering fanbase.
