Kansas City Chiefs high-scoring offense must return against Texans

The Kansas City Chiefs got off the great start offensively, but some receivers have been quiet since then. Those players need to step up this week.

Kansas City Chiefs fans know all about the offense’s 2018 performance. The Chiefs scored 565 points, the third highest mark in NFL history, averaging 35.3 points per game.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had essentially the same offense coming into 2019. This gave fans and the media many reasons to believe Kansas City’s offense would turn in a repeat performance and showcase the same dynamic offense from a year ago.

The Chiefs opened up the season with a 40-26 win in Jacksonville. One week in, the offense appeared to be the same, even without wideout Tyreek Hill, who left the game early and missed the next four games with an injury.

Wide receiver Sammy Watkins wasted little time making plays in the 2019 season after he caught a 68-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the second offensive snap of the game. Watkins conquered the Jaguars, finishing with 9 receptions for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The following week, the Chiefs visited the Oakland Raiders and faced a 10-0 deficit going into the second quarter. But the Chiefs scored 28 points in the second quarter to take the lead and eventually win.

Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson had the best game of his career after he caught s6ix passes for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tight end Travis Kelce also joined in on the fun with 7 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. Rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman had 4 grabs for 61 yards and a score. He could have had a second touchdown and more than 100 yards as well, but it was taken away on a holding call in the second half.

After trailing 6-0 going into the second quarter in Week 3 against the Ravens, the Chiefs offense went wild and scored 23 points in the second quarter, similar to the prior week. Hardman led the team with 97 receiving yards while Kelce was right behind him with 89 yards. Watkins and Robinson contributed, as did running backs Darrel Williams and LeSean McCoy.

Through the first four weeks, the Chiefs offense was still in its 2018 form. The Chiefs averaged 33.8 points per game while Mahomes was throwing for 377 yards per game during the first quarter of the season. Watkins led all NFL players in receiving yards in Week 1 while Robinson did it in Week 2.

Keep in mind, the Chiefs are doing all of this without Hill and while Mahomes was playing through an ankle injury.

After averaging nearly 34 points per game during the 4-0 start, the Chiefs averaged 26.3 points per game in the other 12 games.

Yes, Mahomes has fought through injuries with his ankle, knee and hand. But his level of play has been up and down as the season has gone along. Some of that could be due to the injuries he battled through. Some of it is certainly attributed to the fact that some of the pass-catchers on the team have not been a key part of the offense like they were earlier in the year.

Mahomes has speed all across the offense. With wide receivers Hill, Watkins, Hardman, Robinson and Byron Pringle and tight end Kelce, who is questionable for this Sunday, Mahomes has the best set of pass-catchers any quarterback could ask for. Even against the best defenses, this offense will still thrive, even if one key player is missing, as the Chiefs showed earlier this year during Hill’s absence.

Kansas City’s offense has a lot of tools in the bag. Head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy also have plenty of plays in the playbook that should allow this offense to do what it does best.

Kansas City’s defense peaked at the right time. The special teams unit improved as the season went along. All the team needs is for the offense to be in its 2018 form, or in its form from the 4-0 start. Not only will the Chiefs be hard to stop this Sunday, but it should make it hard for teams to challenge them the rest of the postseason.