Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney had a challenging performance in Thursday night’s 21-20 loss to the Detroit Lions. The 24-year-old, once a first-round pick, exemplified the struggles of the K.C. receiving group. He dropped three passes, including one that led to a game-changing Lions touchdown, and only caught one pass for a single yard out of five targets. Additionally, he had one carry that resulted in a one-yard loss. In the end, Toney had more drops (three) than productive touches (two for 0 yards).
Despite Toney’s subpar showing, quarterback Patrick Mahomes expressed his continued trust in him. Mahomes acknowledged that Toney had missed a significant portion of training camp due to injury, which might have contributed to his difficulties on Thursday. Mahomes believes that Toney will come through in crucial moments and gradually improve.
The pivotal moment of the game occurred in the second half when Mahomes delivered a precise, on-target pass to Toney, who had room to run after the catch. Unfortunately, Toney let the pass slip through his hands, resulting in an interception by Lions rookie defensive back Brian Branch, who returned it for a touchdown. It was a play that counted as an interception on the stat sheet but was clearly not the quarterback’s fault.
Toney’s struggles were emblematic of the wider receiver group’s problems, which had questions surrounding them after the departures of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. The hope was that Toney and second-year receiver Skyy Moore would step up, but in Week 1, they combined for just one catch for one yard on eight targets. Moore, in particular, was expected to play a significant role in his second year but was held silent in the game.
Despite these challenges, Mahomes remains committed to improving and finding solutions. The Chiefs experienced a total of five drops in the game, tied for the most in any game in Mahomes’ career. Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the team in receiving yards with 48 on two receptions, marking the fewest receiving yards by a leading Chiefs receiver in the Mahomes era.
As for the future, Mahomes acknowledges that he will keep throwing the ball, and the team must work on their connections and make improvements. Last season, after the Tyreek Hill trade, the Chiefs successfully diversified their offense by spreading the ball around and relying on Travis Kelce. With Kelce unavailable for this game, it’s evident that the transition in 2023 might not be as seamless as last year.
In conclusion, Mahomes is determined to bounce back and seek more support from the young receiver corps, even when Kelce returns, to avoid further losses as the season progresses.