Chiefs vs. Colts: Six frustrating takeaways from Week 3
By Matt Conner
Chemistry still missing with WRs
The Chiefs have already seen the pros and cons of their trade of Tyreek Hill in the offseason, as a remade secondary built with the Dolphins’ draft picks has already provided solid dividends even in the present. That said, the loss of Hill also meant that Patrick Mahomes would need to form chemistry with a brand new wide receiver room (besides Mecole Hardman)..
Mahomes did his best in the preseason to get reps with the new guys, as he practiced with several new faces in his home state of Texas in the spring and summer. However it’s hard to replace years and years of experience with Hill, especially on deep passes, and the Chiefs have had a tough go of it with early overthrows so far this season.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster might inevitably pay off in ways that analysts thought they might when the Chiefs first signed them—and we saw the first sign of that with the incredible 53-yard completion to Smith-Schuster late in the game—but what’s clear in the interim is that the Chiefs passing game has yet to really find its rhythm. Among pass catchers, no one else has even carved out an important role other than Travis Kelce.
These things can take time, and apparently that time includes more than three weeks of reps.