Here are grades for select Chiefs players, position groups over the past seven games
The Chiefs are 5-2 at their Week 8 bye. They’re in prime position for a second-half push toward another postseason berth.
At this point last year, the Chiefs were a discombobulated 3-4. They turned things around and finished 12-5, putting together a playoff run that concluded with a loss to Cincinnati in the AFC Championship Game, but that start through seven games was troubling.
This year’s Chiefs aren’t lost. In fact, their rankings in a host of NFL statistical categories place them squarely among the league’s elites.
With no game for the Chiefs this weekend, it’s a fine time to evaluate how effectively some of them have contributed thus far.
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Working with some new supporting cast members — which we’ll get to later — has been no problem for Mahomes.
From completing jaw-dropping sidearm throws to leading numerous scoring drives, the Chiefs’ star quarterback continues to dazzle. Mahomes once again ranks at the top of the NFL in passing yards (2,159), touchdowns (20) and most passes of 20-plus yards (32).
He and Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow are tied for most passes of 40 yards or more (7) and Mahomes’ 109.5 rating is the best among the NFL’s starting quarterbacks. He’s also rushed for 113 yards on 21 carries (5.4 yards per).
With Mahomes under center, the Chiefs are the top-scoring and yardage-gaining team in the NFL.
GRADE: A+
RB CLYDE EDWARDS-HELAIRE
Entering the 2022 season, hopes were high for the Chiefs’ 2020 first-round draft pick. He’s stayed healthy, a plus given his injuries and lost time over the past two seasons, and his versatility as both a rusher and receiver remains tantalizing in the Chiefs’ high-octane offense.
Through seven games, Edwards-Helaire’s numbers aren’t bad. He’s totaled 425 yards from scrimmage (288 rushing) and has six total touchdowns in seven appearances (six starts).
But ... concerns are brewing at the season’s midway point. After opening the first six games as the Chiefs’ lead back, Edwards-Helaire did not get the start against the 49ers last weekend. The Chiefs made a switch to rookie Isiah Pacheco as their starter for Week 7.
Moreover, Edwards-Helaire’s total snaps this season (198, or 42% of the Chiefs’ total on offense) do not lead the tailbacks group. That honor belongs to change-of-pace rusher Jerick McKinnon (200 snaps).
With the Chiefs riding the hot hand through seven games, the notion of a lead back in this offense can be a little misleading. And we just don’t know whether Pacheco is the featured back permanently now, or if that start at San Francisco was a one-week deal.
It’s just not a good sign when your seventh-round rookie is in the game ahead of your former first-rounder. Edwards-Helaire’s nose for the end zone saves his current grade from being below-average.
GRADE: C
WIDE RECEIVER GROUP
With Tyreek Hill gone via an offseason trade to Miami, this position group was arguably the Chiefs’ biggest preseason question mark. Mecole Hardman was the only receiver returning from last season’s roster.
Mahomes, for his part, made it clear in the weeks and months preceding the opener that he intended to spread the ball around this season. After all, the Chiefs had restocked with veteran wideouts JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Justin Watson and drafted rookie Skyy Moore. (Mahomes even offered an apology in advance to fantasy football managers, saying his top target could be a different receiver every week.)
Sure enough, through seven games, everyone’s been involved. Smith-Schuster has been the most productive, with a position group-leading 34 catches for 494 yards and two touchdowns. The speedy Valdes-Scantling has 22 catches for 369 yards, and his 16.8 yards per catch ranks first on the team (Moore’s 16.7-yard average is a close second). Even Watson has chipped in with four catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
A heel injury early in the season limited Hardman’s effectiveness for a while, but he broke out in Week 7 with a three-TD performance (one receiving, two rushing). He ranks fourth on the team with 19 catches for 218 yards.
The Chiefs added yet another set of hands Thursday, trading a pair of draft picks to the New York Giant for Kadarius Toney. The 6-foot, 193-pound Toney, whom the Giants drafted in the first round (20th overall) in 2021, is recovering from a hamstring injury. Once healthy, he’ll deepen an already stacked corps. He’s also a hedge for the future: Smith-Schuster, Hardman and Watson are all in the final season of their respective contracts.
Mahomes was right: The Chiefs’ WR-by-committee approach is a fantasy nightmare. But the Chiefs are playing for real wins, and this assortment of receivers has definitely supplied a collective versatility to Andy Reid’s offense.
GRADE: A
TE TRAVIS KELCE
Is there any doubt Kelce is the best tight end in the NFL, even at age 33?
Through seven games, the three-time All-Pro has 47 catches for 553 yards and a league-high seven touchdowns. His receptions total is the fifth-most among all pass catchers, and his receiving yardage ranks seventh overall. He leads all NFL tight ends in these categories — the next closest TE is Baltimore’s Mark Andrews, with 33 catches for 455 yards and five touchdowns.
Whenever the Chiefs need a big play in their passing game, Mahomes looks for (and invariably finds) Mr. Reliable.
GRADE: A+
FIRST-ROUND PICKS
The Chiefs bolstered their defense with a pair of first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft: cornerback Trent McDuffie (taken 21st overall) and defensive end George Karlaftis (30th).
Both looked great during training camp. Both earned starting jobs. But that hasn’t translated to regular-season success through seven games.
Karlaftis has totaled a half-sack and four QB hits as part of the Chiefs’ D-line rotation. McDuffie hasn’t played since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1. He returned to practice Oct. 12, though, and the Chiefs have been evaluating his progress before deciding whether to activate him.
McDuffie’s injury, of course, wasn’t his fault. And Karlaftis still has plenty of time to contribute more meaningfully this season.
GRADE: Incomplete
DL CHRIS JONES
A star of the Chiefs’ defense, Jones remains a particularly disruptive force this fall.
He leads the team in sacks (five) and quarterback hits (eight). He also has three passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Add in 13 tackles, including a team-high six for losses, and Jones is well on his way to a fourth straight Pro Bowl selection.
GRADE: A+
LB NICK BOLTON
The second-year pro absorbed a big responsibility this season as the Chiefs’ “green dot” linebacker, meaning he relays the defensive play-calls from the sidelines to his teammates and ensures they’re lined up properly.
Those added duties haven’t hurt Bolton’s production. He’s tackling machine all over the field, with a team-high 70 stops (six for losses, tied for tops on the team with Jones). He’s also recorded two sacks and four quarterback hits and just always seems to be around the football.
Bolton, Willie Gay Jr. and rookie Leo Chenal provide the Chiefs a strong young nucleus at this position, and should well into the future.
GRADE: A
S JUSTIN REID
Turnover at multiple positions was part of the Chiefs’ offseason narrative. But their changing of the guard at safety became particularly intriguing once they let Tyrann Mathieu walk.
Reid was the Chiefs’ first splashy signing during free agency, and he’s met their lofty expectations head-on. He quietly gets the job done and then some, ranking third on the team with 35 tackles to go along with two quarterback hits and two passes defensed.
There’s another skill that Reid brings to the table, one the Chiefs may not have thought they’d need (or need so early in the season): He’s a very capable emergency kicker. Reid filled in for Harrison Butker in the season opener after Butker sprained an ankle. Reid was 1 for 2 on extra-point attempts and also kicked off for the Chiefs, with five of his kicks going for touchbacks.
How can Reid not get an A-grade?
GRADE: A
THE CHIEFS’ COACHING STAFF
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and his staff had to work in new players on both sides of the football throughout the offseason — and into the regular season.
So far, they’ve done well in this regard. The offense continues to rank among the NFL’s best and even if the rookie-laden defense should be viewed as a work in progress, the Chiefs are 5-2 atop the AFC West.
The biggest knock against Reid and his staff through seven games? That inexplicable loss at the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3. But for the most part, they’ve found creative ways to put their players in positions to succeed.
GRADE: A-
