With Jeremy Maclin hurt, who steps up for Chiefs?

Chris Conley: the rookie stepped in and immediately contributed, catching a 9-yard TD pass from Smith on the same drive Maclin was hurt on. What also impressed me was Conley holding onto the ball after taking a big hit immediately after securing the ball. That’s a good sign for a young receiver who will need to gain more of Alex Smith’s trust in a hurry. Conley also has excellent speed and has shown the ability to get behind the secondary in his limited chances to do so.

While he is still developing his route-running he’s the Chiefs best chance of replicating some of the things Maclin does and they’ll need Conley to take that next step in order to move the ball consistently down the field.

Jason Avant: I’m probably in the minority on this one and that’s fine. Ever since the Chiefs signed Avant during last season I was happy they added a veteran possession receiver with some of the best hands in the league. I also thought it was smart to re-sign him to have as depth for this year and as a mentor to the young receivers on the team. You could do a lot worse for a fourth receiver than Avant.

His role for the Patriots game is fairly simple: be a chain mover. He’ll be on the field a lot more now and he’ll be key in picking up first downs and short yardage situations. No one should or will ask Avant to go out and win them a game. All they need from the 32-year-old is to play within himself and use those sure hands of his to keep drives going.

Demetrius Harris: Fresh off a brand new three-year contract extension, it’s likely that Harris plays a bigger role in the offensive scheme and not just as a blocker. It’s been a gradual development for the former college basketball player but he showed that promise that the Chiefs staff saw in him with a fantastic leaping touchdown catch in Week 17 against the Raiders.

There’s been plenty of knocks on Harris: he has questionable hands, has a penchant for not holding on to blocks and getting called for penalties while playing on special teams. He has the size that could cause problems for the Patriots secondary but I’m not quite sure he’s ready to be called upon as a reliable pass-catcher.

None of us know what, if anything, Jeremy Maclin will be able to contribute against the Patriots. He may not even end up suiting up which would take away the ability for Maclin to be at least used as a decoy. Even if he does play the Chiefs will need their three young pass catchers and one long-time vet to help Alex Smith in moving the ball down the field against a stingy Patriots defense.

Will one of these players step up and become the hero for the Chiefs to return to the AFC Championship game or will the offense go stagnant and keep them from being able to keep up with Tom Brady and friends? We’ll know the answer soon enough.