Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs’ pass-catchers aim to sync up Sunday at Jacksonville Jaguars
After last week’s loss to the Detroit Lions, Chiefs coach Andy Reid shouldered blame for the uneven performance of his offense, saying he didn’t put wide receivers like Kadarius Toney in position to succeed.
Superstar Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also pointed a finger — at himself.
“There were opportunities that I missed, a couple of throws where I could have gotten to a guy earlier. I just made it hard on those guys, just being a little late on some of my reads,” Mahomes said.
Chiefs wide receivers had plenty of drops in the 21-20 loss. Their route-running seemed confused at times. But Mahomes overthrew Skyy Moore in one instance and may have been late on a pass attempt to Kadarius Toney.
“It’s a lot of reading on the run, recognizing coverages and making plays off that,” Mahomes said. “That’s stuff where I have to be on the same page as the receivers, and that’s what we’ll work on.”
It’s worth recalling that although Mahomes worked with many of the Chiefs’ wide receivers, tight ends and running backs in the offseason and during training camp, they’re still getting to know each other. Of the team’s seven wide receivers, four are in their second year with the Chiefs, and three in their first.
Look for the Chiefs’ passing game to be more on point against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Here’s what else to watch on Sunday:
Chiefs spotlight: Isiah Pacheco
Running back Isiah Pacheco had two of his better games against the Jags in 2022, rushing for a combined 177 yards on 28 attempts (6.3 yards per carry).
But the Chiefs’ running game got stuffed against the Lions. Among the Chiefs’ running backs, only Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire tallied rushing attempts. And they combined for a meager 45 yards.
A breakdown in run-blocking was an issue.
“We can always do better, and we need to: We need to do better there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “So, we’ll get that taken care of.”
Jaguars spotlight: Calvin Ridley
What a return to action for Ridley, who had eight receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown in last week’s victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Ridley hadn’t played in a game since Oct. 24, 2021. He left the Atlanta Falcons while dealing with mental health issues and serving a suspension for the entire 2022 season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
Ridley was obtained by Jacksonville and reinstated in March. The former second-team All-Pro, who logged 1,374 receiving yards in 2020, didn’t miss a beat last week and gives talented Jags QB Trevor Lawrence another weapon.
Key to victory for Chiefs
The likely return from injury of Kelce will improve the Chiefs’ passing game overall, and the attention he attracts should benefit the wide receivers specifically.
The Chiefs scored 27 twice on Jacksonville last season. It could take at least that many points to topple the team that’s favored to repeat at AFC South champion.
No successful fake punts vs. Chiefs
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said the Chiefs weren’t caught off-guard by the Lions’ fake punt last week.
Detroit picked up a first down on fourth-and-2 from the 17 when the ball was snapped to an up-back. The Chiefs weren’t fooled but didn’t have the right personnel on the field to make the stop.
“It was a gutsy call, a good call ... our guys reacted well,” Toub said. “In that situation, we could keep the defense on the field. We had punt return (personnel) out there. I could have had D-lineman out there. For the other (punt) situations, we left the big guys on the field.”
What concerns Toub most about the Jaguars? Return specialist Jamal Agnew, the All-Pro who had a 48-yard return in last weekend’s victory over the Colts.
“He’s scary-good,” Toub said. “He’s been the main focus this week.”
Streaking past Jaguars
Remember Andy Reid’s first victory as the Chiefs’ coach?
It came at Jacksonville. The Chiefs had a punt blocked through the end zone for a Jaguars safety to open the scoring, but that was it for the home team. The Chiefs got touchdown passes from Alex Smith — also his first game with the Chiefs — to Donnie Avery and Junior Hemingway, a rushing score from Jamaal Charles and a Tamba Hali pick-six in a 28-2 victory. That started a nine-game Chiefs winning streak.
Jacksonville’s quarterback that day: current Chiefs backup and former Mizzou star Blaine Gabbert.
Including last season’s playoff victory, the Chiefs own a seven-game winning streak over the Jaguars.