The Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly made some changes to their offensive game plan ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, head coach Andy Reid “whittled down” his playbook, meaning there will be fewer plays and personnel packages, and likely fewer players heavily involved in the offense. Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes has struggled to find reliable options in the passing game this season outside of tight end Travis Kelce and rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice, and an offensive consolidation could mean even more targets going their way Sunday.
Per Rapoport and Pelissero, the Chiefs also intend on spending less time making offensive substitutions, which should allow them to operate at a faster pace. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports added that Rice, Justyn Ross and Richie James Jr. are expected to be a bigger part of the offense for the rest of the season, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney will likely have their roles reduced. The Chiefs have been searching for a clear-cut No. 1 wideout ever since trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins prior to the 2022 season, but doing so has been easier said than done.
Last season, Kelce was Mahomes’ unquestioned top target, and JuJu Smith-Schuster filled in admirably as the top wide receiver on the roster with 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns. That was enough for the Chiefs to make their way through the playoffs and win a second Super Bowl in four years, but things have felt different this season. Entering play Sunday, the Chiefs are 9-6, meaning they already have their most losses in a season since going 10-6 in 2017, which was the final season before Mahomes became the starter.
Smith-Schuster signed with the New England Patriots during the offseason, and Rice has essentially been his replacement, leading all Chiefs wideouts with 74 catches for 811 yards and seven scores. Kelce is once again the team’s top pass-catcher with 90 receptions for 968 yards and five touchdowns, but his play has paled in comparison to last season when he had arguably the best statistical season of his career with 110 grabs for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns. Outside of Kelce and Rice, no other non-running back on the roster has more than 27 receptions, 419 yards or three touchdowns. Valdes-Scantling and Toney have arguably been the biggest albatrosses on the offense, as both of them have had numerous drops in key situations.
Toney, who has just 27 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown on the year, also has five drops. Per Jones, Las Vegas Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow is the only player in the NFL with five or more drops this season who has fewer targets than Toney. Ross and James have seen relatively limited action in the offense this season, playing in eight and seven games, respectively. Ross has just four catches for 36 yards and James has seven receptions for 93 yards. Given that the Chiefs haven’t gotten much receiving production out of anyone other than Kelce, Rice and Justin Watson, increasing their roles makes sense, as they already know what they have in players like Toney, Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore.
Sunday’s game against Cincinnati is a pivotal one for Kansas City since the AFC West is still technically in doubt. If the Chiefs were to lose to the Bengals and the Raiders were to beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, KC would enter the final week of the season with only a one-game lead. With Mahomes at the helm, the Chiefs figure to be a dangerous team if they make the playoffs, but another trip to the Super Bowl may not be in the cards unless Reid’s offensive adjustments truly make a difference.
