Wide receiver play hasn’t been a strong suit for the Kansas City Chiefs as of late, and the frustration from quarterback Patrick Mahomes may be mounting.
The Chiefs knocked off the New England Patriots, 27-17, in Week 15, but yet another glaring mistake by WR Kadarius Toney drew the ire of Mahomes. Near the midway point of the fourth quarter, Mahomes tossed a perfectly catchable pass to Toney, who bobbled the football, leading to an interception.
Upset over the unforced error, Mahomes couldn’t hide his emotions on the sidelines.
Toney’s blunder didn’t factor into the final score on Sunday, but mistakes are becoming a trend for the third-year pass catcher. In Week 14, Toney lined up offsides, wiping out an incredible Chiefs touchdown and ultimately costing them a win. In the aftermath, head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes received fines from the NFL for criticizing the penalty. However, replays clearly showed Toney was at fault.
Days after essentially going to bat for Toney, he showed again why the Chiefs should be leary in trusting him. After Sunday’s win, Reid didn’t give Toney an overwhelming vote of confidence, saying, “We’ll see,” when asked by reporters about possibly benching him.
Yet, despite his recent play, it appears Toney hasn’t run out of shots with Reid.
“I’m not down on Toney, he does some good things,” Reid said via PJ Green of Fox4 News.
Toney isn’t the only concern for Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, as nearly the entire wideout group has been invisible. Emerging rookie WR Rashee Rice had a great outing, recording nine catches on nine targets for 91 yards and a touchdown. However, the Chiefs’ second-leading receiver was running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (four catches, 64 yards, one TD) on Sunday. Meanwhile, Toney and fellow WRs Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling combined to catch three of five targets for 22 yards.
Mahomes’ pouting on the sidelines Sunday, paired with his tirade a week ago, is bound to draw criticism. Deserved or not, it only highlights the issue at hand. If the two-time Super Bowl MVP is frustrated to the level of outwardly showing up a teammate, it’s a real problem and could lead to Toney being phased out of the offense sooner rather than later.
