Chiefs’ passing game: What to expect in 2015
Dec 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs after a catch as Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Antwon Blake (41) chases during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
If the answer is no, then in order to get a spike in wideout receptions, you’ll have to counter that with a drop off in tight end and running back catches. Given the fact that Travis Kelce and Jamaal Charles are two of the Chiefs’ top playmakers I have a hard time seeing those numbers drop by too much.
My point in all of this is that I’m not sure it’s wise to get your hopes up that the Chiefs are going to see a huge increase in wide receiver production this season. Do I think it will be improved over last season? Yes, but when all is said and done, the overall improvement in the numbers may be less than what some KC fans are hoping for.
In closing, I’m going to take a stab at what some realistic numbers for next season might be, and I invite all of you reading this to do the same in the comments below (especially if your estimates are noticeably different than mine). For the sake of this exercise, let’s be a little optimistic (I know that may kill some of you) and say that the Chiefs’ passing game goes slightly over those Reid/Smith averages that I listed above. Let’s set the line for this season at….
330 receptions
3,750 yards
25 TDs
Given those numbers, how would you guess that the production is split up? No cheating and upping the totals. You must stick with those numbers.
Here’s my best pre-training camp guess:
Travis Kelce – 80 receptions, 1,000 yards, 8 TDs
Jeremy Maclin – 70 receptions, 900 yards, 5 TDs
Jamaal Charles – 40 receptions, 300 yards, 4 TDs
Albert Wilson – 35 receptions, 400 yards, 1 TD
Chris Conley – 30 receptions, 450 yards, 3 TDs
DeAnthony Thomas – 30 receptions, 300 yards, 1 TD
Jason Avant – 25 receptions, 250 yards, 1 TD
All Others – 20 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TDs
I see the Chiefs offense featuring Jamaal Charles, Travis Kelce, and Jeremy Maclin with everyone else serving more as role players. So how about you, Addicts? How do you see the Chiefs’ passing game production being distributed? Make your best guess in the comments below and remember you are disqualified if you go over or under the 330/3,750/25 line that I set.
As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!