Chiefs players who need to improve performance after bye week

The Chiefs’ 5-2 start has featured awesome highs and painful lows. More of the former will lay ahead if these three players improve after the bye.

The Kansas City Chiefs had the past week off and entered their bye near the top of the AFC. There has been plenty to celebrate thus far, with an undefeated divisional record, and victories over Tom Brady’s Buccaneers and the 49ers’ league-leading defense. The Chiefs’ 5-2 start feels like a success in itself after a stale offseason led to a number of rookies playing key roles in the early part of the schedule.

With all of the good that has come throughout the early part of the season, there is a lot that the Chiefs will need to improve upon to continue to build on this success. The pass rush has been underwhelming, scoring from wide receivers has been sparse, and the offensive line—previously projected to be the best in the league—has struggled in pass blocking.

On a more microscopic scale, there are a couple of players in particular who need to improve their performance after the bye week.

Skyy Moore

This point was a bit more relevant before the Chiefs traded for Kadarius Toney, but, nonetheless, Skyy Moore needs to pick it up.

I’m all for allowing time for a rookie to get up to speed, and with Moore coming out of a non-power 5 college program, he needs it. Skyy Moore’s skill set at wide receiver is unique. His steady hands, stout build, and breakaway speed will eventually make him a dangerous weapon in the offense. His three muffed punts on special teams, however, have tainted his introduction to the league.

With the limited amount of receiving snaps that he’s lined up for through seven weeks (64), and that involvement subject to decrease with the addition of Toney, Moore will need to step it up on special teams. He may be at risk of losing the punt returner job, and if he does, his road to consistent reps on offense will become far more challenging.