Kansas City’s rebuilt wide receiver corps can make Chiefs unstoppable

Wide Receiver Production Compared To Last Season

We just got done looking at how the Chiefs’ wideout production is trending up as the season goes on. That should mean that by the end of the season the average receiver production numbers will be higher than they are now. However, if the averages don’t go up and the Chiefs per game production from their receivers stays exactly the same as it is today, how would that compare to last year when they had Tyreek Hill? Before we look at KC’s total numbers and compare them to last season, let’s see what each of KC’s wideouts is on pace for this season.

• JuJu Smith-Schuster: 82.6 receptions, 1,200 yards, 4.9 touchdowns
• Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 53.4 receptions, 896.1 yards, 0 touchdowns
• Mecole Hardman: 46.1 receptions, 529.4 yards, 7.3 touchdowns
• Skyy Moore: 14.6 receptions, 242.9 yards, 0 touchdowns
• Justin Watson: 9.7 receptions, 155.4 yards, 4.9 touchdowns

While Moore hasn’t contributed much at all, the numbers of those top three are great when you factor in Travis Kelce and his numbers. But how does the production compare to last season? Well, last season with Tyreek Hill as the anchor of a receiving corps that also included Hardman, Byron Pringle, and Demarcus Robinson, the Chiefs averaged the following wide receiver numbers per game.

• 14.4 receptions
• 165.9 yards
• 11.5 yards per catch
• 1.2 touchdowns

This season the revamped receiver group is averaging the following through seven games.

• 12.1 receptions
• 177.9 yards
• 14.7 yards per catch
• 1.0 touchdowns

I find it fascinating that without the best big-play receiver in the NFL the Chiefs are actually averaging more receiver yards per game and over two yards more per reception. The touchdown numbers are relatively close and the receivers were getting a couple more receptions per game when Mahomes was forcing the ball to Tyreek, but still fewer yards per game. If we go back to the per-game numbers the Chiefs have put up the past three games, those yardage and averages get even better.

• 13.3 receptions
• 223.7 yards
• 16.8 yards per catch
• 1.7 touchdowns

Those numbers don’t even include Hardman’s rushing yards and touchdowns from this past game either. Still, over the past three games, the Chiefs are averaging over five yards more per reception to wide receivers than they did last season when Hill was on the team and two of those three games were against top NFL defenses (Bills and 49ers).

It’s not realistic to think that the Chiefs wide receivers will put up numbers as they did on Sunday every week. However, the positive trend over the past three weeks is incredibly encouraging. If Patrick Mahomes and this receiver group can continue to grow more comfortable with each other this could end up being the scariest offense Kansas City has had in the Mahomes era and that is definitely saying something. While that’s still far from a sure thing, Sunday’s game should have the rest of the NFL nervous and praying it was a fluke.