Chiefs aren't stressing about deep passing game
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Charles Goldman
Through the first six weeks of the 2023 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled to get the deep passing game going. Patrick Mahomes has just nine passes of 30+ yards so far this season, which isn’t quite the usual pace for the star quarterback.
However, Mahomes isn’t stressing out about the lack of big plays downfield so far.
“We design plays to get the deep shot throughout the week and when those aren’t there, it’s hard sometimes,” Mahomes said. “You almost want to force it in there to give it a chance because you’ve worked all week for it, but you have to continue to be patient. Teams are playing us in a lot of deep coverages, deep zone coverages, and we haven’t proven that we can sustain multiple drives where we go down the field and score.”
If the Chiefs are able to sustain drives and go down the field and score, Mahomes is confident that the deep passing game will eventually open up for the offense. Chiefs QB coach David Girardi echoed that notion and added they’re always looking for ways to take advantage and be aggressive in-game.
“It is something that we talk about, and we talk about it every day,” Girardi said. “You know, come to the sideline, how are they playing us in-game? How deep are the guys dropping? Things like that, so it is a constant dialogue and then within that, when are those opportunities to take those shots down field but it’s definitely a constant dialogue that we have.”
At the end of the day, there are a lot of different factors that go into it. Having the right personnel certainly helps, but what the defense is doing, down-and-distance, score, all of that also factors into the equation. One thing Chiefs Kingdom won’t have to worry about is Mahomes staying aggressive, both he and Girardi acknowledge that it’s in his nature. The deep shots will keep coming, it’s just a matter of making sure that when they do happen, the result is a favorable one for Kansas City.
BEEF of the Week - Chiefs vs. Chargers:
Travis Kelce has a feel for improvisation:
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has mastered the art of improvisation on the football field. Whether it’s running a route that wasn’t called, finding a soft spot in zone coverage, or pitching the ball on a hook-and-ladder play, Kelce has a knack for it. Andy Reid spoke about how that came about on Friday.
“He’s had a great feel right from the get-go,” Reid said. “He did it with Alex (Smith), and he’s done it now with Pat (Mahomes) and all of the quarterbacks in between there. He’s just got a feel. He’s quarterback friendly that way, he understands the schemes, understands defenses.”
It’s not terribly uncommon to find tight ends who improvise, at least not for Reid. He named three others who also had a feel for it, but none of them were quite like Kelce.
“Yeah, (former NFL TE) Keith Jackson – well I had this at Green Bay – Keith Jackson, (former NFL TE) Mark Chmura, were a lot like that,” Reid said. “Then (former NFL TE Brent) Celek came from the same place he came from, so he had a pretty good feel for space and (former NFL TE) Chad Lewis made a living on that. The tight ends get a little more freedom than the other guys because (they have) the whole middle of the field normally to work with. He does it as well, better than anybody.”
Kelce has 28 receptions for 461 yards and five touchdowns against the Chargers in his last four games. Rest assured it’ll be a big week for him in Week 7, improvisation or otherwise.
The Breakdown - Chiefs Defense is Seeing MAJOR Improvements Because of THIS!
Former Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro linebacker Derrick Johnson, former Chiefs defensive back Ron Parker, and former Chiefs defensive tackle Mike DeVito sit down with Craig Stout to break down four key plays from the Chiefs' win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Friday Injury Report:
Chiefs:
Chargers:
Quick Hits:
- Wes Roech’s Week 7 Chiefs-Chargers preview is here.
- The Chiefs will induct Dante Hall into the Ring of Honor this Sunday.
- The Athletic’s Nate Taylor wrote about Chris Jones rushing from the edge and the return of Charles Omenihu.
- Returning Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman
opened up about his serious 2022 injury
Important Dates Ahead:
- Oct. 22: Chargers at Chiefs - Week 7
- Oct. 29: Chiefs at Broncos - Week 8
- Oct. 31: NFL Trade Deadline
