Broncos at Chiefs - Week 6 - Record: 5-1 - Second Take

Nkay let's face it. The Chiefs actually have a pretty decent defense, arguably the best Mahomes has had in his tenure so far. The back seven, the LB and DB core, has been playing lockdown D, and last night our D-line was swatting QB tosses like flies. Our running game is solid with Isiah running "angry at the ground," Jerick picking it up with the outlet passing game, and yes, Clyde filling in admirably no matter how much other web efforts ("Arrowhead Pride" ::cough::cough::) so foolishly dismiss the guy. On special teams Tommy was booming punts and Harrison was blasting 60-yard field goals. And yes, Patrick-to-Travis is still rails, last night it was on its standard bright, brilliant display.

Okay okay, we all got that.

But, yeah, ahem...

This receiving core.

How about ranking them, this time simply by how well they are looking of late.

1. Rashee Rice. By far our best option. He not only looks really good downfield but he is exceptional at doing what we all thought he would be exceptional at: yards-after-catch. Every game this dude gets more experience the better option he'll be for Mahomes.

Now this is where it starts to get ugly, which is why the WR room is just kind of gruesome right now.

2. Skyy Moore. He did make some plays last night, which is why he ranks so high here. He does actually look really good catching the ball and making plays, he does, he's athletic -- that's good. How come we are just wondering when he'll take the next step?

3. Kadarius Toney. He too looks like a phenomenally gifted football player. It's just he looked really overwhelmed last night, especially when they tried to get him into open space so he could juke everyone out of their athletic supporters like we've seen him do before. Except that, well, once they had him run a wildcat and it exploded in the Chiefs face.

4. Justin Watson. After his two great plays last week he was invisible last night. Where was he? His one notable target was a dropped pass right in his hands. Sadly right after that he was driven into the turf by the cover guy and he suffered some kind of serious shoulder damage, putting him on the sidelines for a few weeks.

5. Marquez-Valdes Scantling. Also invisible, and mostly noted for an illegal block (another really questionable call by the official -- it could be called yes, I get it, but again, don't say the Chiefs aren't victims of niggling little interpretation calls either) that negated a long catch-&-run by McKinnon. I mean, the guy came through so much in our AFC Championship game last season against the Bengals, remember? He practically carried the team when during the game we lost a couple of our WRs. This season, where is he?

6. Justyn Ross. And where is this guy? At all? From what all of us can see, it is clear he has tons and tons of talent, drive, commitment -- if this translates into real potential why isn't he on the field? In some measure, with the WR crew like it is, why not get him more targets? I don't think there are any Chiefs fans who don't feel this way.

Here's the thing. It isn't as much that any one of them don't have the ability or any of that. We can see it whenever any one of them gets the ball. The problem is in them getting the ball.  How many times are we watching Mahomes step back to pass and look and look and look and look and look and look and look and look (I mean the O-line is really doing a fine job of giving him time) and look and look and look and look...

Sure the opponent D-backs could just be doing their jobs, but how about our WRs doing their jobs? Even when Mahomes scrambles he still looks and looks and looks and looks and looks and...

Do you see this? It is very much ::errrrghckghrrgh::...

Where are those WRs breaking open for him?

I do think a lot of it is on the coaching, and working to get those guys knowing what to do and getting those routes right and getting that feel for what the defense is giving them -- those are the things that make the best WRs. And when you have a Patrick Mahomes at QB? Yikes! How can you not be getting all that?

I'm very very very sure Andy Reid et al know all this, and I'm confident they'll get it worked out. Glad to hear Mahomes say after the game, as he always does, that he likes these guys and he is looking to see them improve day-by-day -- and I don't think he's just saying that. I think he means it.

Look forward to seeing how this all plays out.

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The photo is from Chris Donahue at the official Chiefs site. Thank you.

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