Chris Conley’s best game ever is overshadowed in Chiefs loss to Rams

The hype and overall offensive production on both sides of the Chiefs versus Rams on Monday night overshadowed a nice outing from Chris Conley.

Chris Conley had a career night on Monday, and it feels like no one even noticed.

The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver put up the single best performance of four-year professional career against the Los Angeles Rams and he did it in under the bright lights of Monday Night Football. He tied or set career marks in targets (8), receptions (7) and receiving yards (74), and he found the end zone on two separate occasions—another personal best—and yet the production has already been lost among other, more popular, talking points.

Conley, of course, hasn’t even likely thought about such things. He’s been the consummate team player since he arrived as the Chiefs third-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He’s a positive community member and movie geek, a workout wonder and a reliable target. Unfortunately, injuries and an overwhelming amount of elite offensive targets have largely drowned out Conley’s presence on the Chiefs all these years.

It seems like even this single game on Monday was a description of his career—a man who flies under the radar despite the talent (and sometimes production).

It’s interesting to wonder what might have been if Conley had landed with another team—or if the Chiefs had avoided the Sammy Watkins addition. That’s not a slight on Watkins at all. Rather, Conley’s natural athleticism should have equaled more production at this point in his career. A serious Achilles injury ruined any breakout potential last season in Alex Smith’s final year with the team, and new general manager Brett Veach obviously felt like going with an outside acquisition like Watkins was the best overall measure for the Chiefs offense.

On Monday, Conley showed what he was capable of. Check out his first touchdown catch from Patrick Mahomes here just before the first half.

This is, of course, an exhibition of what Patrick Mahomes does so well at quarterback, keeping the play alive and his eyes downfield enough to see Conley coming through traffic in the end zone. But Conley’s unparalled athleticism comes into view here on the catch. Mahomes throws a bullet in leading Conley maybe a hair too much and Conley extends himself and catches it on on the downward trajectory of his leap, while his hands do the rest to complete the pass even as he falls.

Conley athleticism warrants a mention here because it’s likely that has also been forgotten. For draftniks or passionate Chiefs fans, the recall of his NFL Combine performance might still be there, but for most, it’s easy to forget the fact that Conley set actual records (for his position) during his time at the Combine, including a 45-inch vertical mark that still stands. His 4.35 second time in the 40-yard dash was third best, but it’s even more impressive when you consider that he’s a physical 6’2 target—not some shifty, diminutive receiver. Really, his whole performance is worth taking in.

Basically, the Chiefs have a workout warrior known for his intelligence and work ethic buried on the depth chart behind other guys who, let’s be honest, deserve to be above him. That doesn’t mean that Conley is not capable of being a solid offensive weapon if given predictable reps.

Next year, Conley will be a free agent and it will be interesting to see if he leaves. It’s possible that we haven’t seen the best of Conley just yet, and it should not surprise anyone if he’s able to blossom when tasked with being a primary target on a team with less offensive luxuries than the Chiefs.