Simply put, the Kansas City Chiefs need their premier vertical threat in wide receiver Tyreek Hill back on the offense. Patrick Mahomes misses him.
While the Kansas City Chiefs remain the best team in the AFC West, something is clearly missing with them on offense. After falling for the first time this season on Sunday Night Football in Week 5 to the Indianapolis Colts, it’s pretty clear that quarterback Patrick Mahomes misses his favorite wide receiver in the form of Tyreek Hill.
On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Matt Verderame, Josh Hill and Mark Carman face the truth that the Chiefs offense just isn’t the same without the dynamic breakaway speed of Hill to take the top off opposing defenses (10:25).
“I think they’ll be fine when they get Tyreek Hill back,” said Hill. “We’ve kind of seen what this offense can be like without him.” Keep in mind that the Chiefs were without Hill and fellow wide receiver Sammy Watkins in this Sunday night affair with the Colts. They had to use former Kansas State star Byron Pringle to help offset those absences in the Kansas City receiving corps.
“What it comes down to is they need Tyreek Hill back in the worst way,” said Verderame. “They need Eric Fisher back in the worst way.” Fisher’s absence has been incredibly noticeable thanks to the poor job Cameron Erving has done filling in for him at left tackle. Erving is largely responsible for Mahomes getting banged up and having limited mobility in his ankle.
What this all really comes down to is that opposing defenses will continue to play man coverage against a depleted Kansas City receiving corps. There might be matchups where tight end Travis Kelce and others can get open more than their fair share. However, this offense won’t be anywhere near as potent as it was a year ago if they can’t get some production down the field.
Fortunately, the Chiefs look to be in a good spot, as the Denver Broncos are the Los Angeles Chargers have had their struggles through the first five weeks. While the Oakland Raiders are a surprising 3-2, one of their losses was a blowout loss at home to Kansas City. The Raiders still haven’t played at Arrowhead this season, so look for the Chiefs to still end up winning the division.
Here are a few other topics that were discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box:
- Baker Mayfield needs to stop talking and start playing (4:12).
- A breakdown of the dysfunction with the Washington Redskins (15:42).
- Are the Raiders a playoff team (45:35)?
- Deshaun Watson will have a statement game against the Chiefs (56:40).
All this and more!
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