Return to form? A closer look at Chiefs WR Chris Conley
By C.J. Jacobs
A prediction of how Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley will rebound from his season-ending Achilles injury which occured in week five of the 2017 season.
Chris Conley is on the road to recovery.
In Week 5 against the Houston Texans of this past season, Conley tore his Achilles tendon during an onside kick attempt by the Texans. The Kansas City Chiefs have had their fair share of players go down with Achilles injuries in recent seasons. Eric Berry, Derrick Johnson (twice), Mike DeVito, and Chris Conley have all been sidelined and missed significant time.
Now the question facing Conley and the Chiefs is how will he bounce back?
2018 Prediction
- 46 receptions
- 581 yards
- 3 touchdowns
Why?
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This upcoming season will be Conley’s fourth season in Kansas City. It’s impossible to know what kind of production he could’ve enjoyed had he been healthy for the duration of the season. Last season may have been the year he improved drastically, but we really didn’t get the chance to see it.
I’m predicting a breakout season. Why? Because I’m a Chiefs fan and that’s what we do. More logically, though, I’m predicting the breakout season based on what his former quarterback said about him. Smith talked about how much the offense missed Conley and the little things he does for the team that probably go unnoticed by the average fan. Every team needs a guy like him.
Of course, successful offenses need the 1,000 yard guys, but they also need the glue guys like Conley—the ones that consistently do the things that don’t show up in the box score because they care about the team more than themselves. Every team needs those guys that can be counted on to play their heart out each and every game. That’s what Conley brings to the table. (You can check out a good article about Conley by Terez Paylor here.)
Mahomes Chemistry
It will be interesting to see how the on-field relationship between Conley and Mahomes develops prior to next season. The guess/hope is Conley becomes a reliable option for Mahomes and is that guy that is always in the right spot at the right time. If Conley produces similar numbers to this prediction, it’ll be more than welcomed. He’s capable of this kind of production, but he could put up greater numbers with his athleticism, especially with future HOF gunslingin’ Pat Mahomes at the helm.
Until next time, continue your belief in this Chief!