Why Chiefs’ Justin Watson wants to see improvement from receivers after Broncos loss
Kansas City Chiefs receiver Justin Watson stood in front of his locker following Sunday’s 24-9 loss to Denver and said he was ready to get the next week of preparation going.
He said the offense, in particular, needs it following Sunday’s disappointing performance.
“I think the energy from the beginning wasn’t the standard that we set,” Watson told The Star. “So it’s gonna start during the week. It’s gonna start at Wednesday practice.”
Specifically, Watson said the receiver position needs to have a productive next few days.
The Chiefs’ pass-catchers on Sunday once again were inconsistent outside of tight end Travis Kelce. Rashee Rice led KC’s wideouts with four receptions for 56 yards, while no other receiver had more than two catches.
There were plenty of costly gaffes, too. Rice and Skyy Moore couldn’t hold onto passes that would’ve been big plays, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling also lost a fumble after a second-quarter reception. On other instances, perimeter missed blocks stalled out promising drives.
“I think we see some of these same mistakes at practice translating into the game,” Watson said, speaking about the receivers. “So for me, the next opportunity is to practice. So gotta be a great practice on Wednesday. That’s all you can control at this point.”
The outside threats also didn’t do much to help quarterback Patrick Mahomes as he battled through illness.
Mahomes had one of his worst career games with the Chiefs, throwing two interceptions, losing a fumble and taking three sacks against a Broncos defense that entered statistically as the worst unit in the NFL.
“I think I’ve made a lot of mistakes and seen guys like Trav (Kelce) and Pat come pick me up by making a huge play and wiping it away. And so that’s what you always want to do when you see anything — you want to pick your teammates up,” Watson said. “We didn’t get that done today.”
Like Watson, other Chiefs mentioned a lack of emotion in the Denver contest. Mecole Hardman said part of the reason he tried to return a fourth-quarter punt he fumbled was because the team had “no energy, no spark yet.”
Safety Justin Reid, meanwhile, said he also sensed something was missing with the Chiefs’ mentality.
“It wasn’t like guys had the wrong attitude. But you’ve just got to go out there and just be aggressive,” Reid said. “Like when the opportunity’s there to make plays, you’ve just got to go out and make them. It’s OK that you come out and you maybe get on your heels in the beginning, but you’ve got to be able to shake back from that and overcome adversity and not fold.
“I thought in a lot of ways that we didn’t fold, but still nonetheless, I think we can come out stronger than we did.”
The good news for the Chiefs is the big picture. They remain 6-2 while maintaining the top spot among AFC teams.
Watson acknowledged that fact Sunday while also establishing the Chiefs need to improve themselves ahead of their upcoming test against the Miami Dolphins.
“Everything’s forward,” Watson said. “So learn from this, but it’s all about next game, next practice, and we’re gonna be better for that next one.”
