Six encouraging signs from KC Chiefs win over Pittsburgh Steelers

The “Other Wideouts” Are Making Plays

Earlier in the season when the offense was having issues, part of the problem was that the Chiefs didn’t have an answer when teams would take away Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. The inconsistent play of the other wideouts wasn’t just frustrating, it was keeping the offense from reaching its potential. We hoped Josh Gordon might be part of the solution to that problem, but that never happened. In fact, Gordon wasn’t even active for the game against the Steelers.

The good news is that the trio of Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, and Demarcus Robinson finally seem to be settling into their roles. Hardman may never be a true starting wideout, but lately, he’s been a key contributor and his electric speed has to be accounted for. He finished Sunday with 6 touches for 49 yards, plus a couple of nice punt returns. Byron Pringle finished Sunday with 5 catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns and is starting to establish himself as a consistent week in and week out producer for the offense.

I’ve been a critic of Demarcus Robinson in the past, but there is simply no question that the Chiefs were better off against the Steelers with Robinson getting the snaps that had been going to Josh Gordon. While Gordon simply hasn’t been able to contribute, Robinson responded to getting more offensive snaps by finishing with 4 receptions for 76 yards. While he still makes me crazy when he waves the ball around or immediately runs backward after catching the ball, he’s someone that can get open and make some catches and that’s more than we could say for Josh Gordon in KC.

If this trio of wideouts can just continue to play a role in the offense it allows them to extend drives and not have to force feed Hill and Kelce all the time. That will be crucial as they go up against better defenses in the playoffs who will start by trying to limit KC’s top two targets.

Next, there was one more offensive standout in this game.