Why the Kansas City Chiefs don’t need a prolific number two wide receiver

So if we can all agree that a winning formula for the current Chiefs includes a good defense and a good running game let’s see if we can look around the NFL and see how those effect the numbers put up in the passing game.

Something you have to keep in mind is that many of the teams that have produced huge passing games either (A) have little to no run game on offense, (B) have poor defenses that lead to high scoring shoot outs, or (C) both of the above. If a team does have a good defense and a good run game you simply aren’t going to see the same numbers in the passing game.

I went back over the past three seasons (2013-2015) and looked at the teams that were in the top ten in the NFL in defensive points allowed, defensive yards allowed, and rushing yards per game. Over those three seasons a team has finished in all three of those areas 11 times (two of them being Chiefs teams). I then looked at the player (regardless of position) that finished second on those eleven teams in receptions. Here is the average production for a team’s number two player for those teams.

57.2 receptions
790.2 yards
6.7 touchdowns

That’s what the average number two passing weapon looks like on a team with a good defense and good running game in today’s NFL. I now give you Travis Kelce’s numbers from last season.

72 receptions
875 yards
5 touchdowns

The Kansas City Chiefs actually already have about as prolific of second receiver as a good defensive and running team can expect and his name is Travis Kelce. Kelce’s 72 receptions was actually the second highest of any number two target on the list (behind only John Brown’s 80 receptions for Arizona last season).

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