Kansas City’s identity on offense can be summed up perfectly by three words: "everybody gotta eat." It’s a mantra that is more than just a catchy slogan; it encapsulates the Chiefs’ game plan and philosophy. But while everybody has been eating, nobody has been feasting, which has led to a quirky stat for one of the league’s most high-powered offenses.
Rather than feeding one player specifically with a majority of the targets or carries, the Chiefs have been sharing the ball—the metaphorical food, so to speak—with everyone. It’s a strategy that’s paid off. The Chiefs look more dynamic on offense than they have in years, and their numbers are through the roof, too. But there is a side effect to all the sharing, one that, strangely, has Kansas City sitting at a table alongside one of the most mediocre offenses in the league.
Through the first eight weeks of the season, the Chiefs haven’t had a single 100-yard receiver or a 100-yard rusher. Not one. And that’s rather odd.
Across the league, 22 teams have had a runner break the 100-yard mark this season. Even more—26—have had a receiver go for 100 yards or more in a game. Only two teams haven’t had either: the Arizona Cardinals and, of course, the Kansas City Chiefs. I didn’t think there would be many offensive similarities between Kansas City and Arizona this season, but here we are.
The Chiefs are lighting up the scoreboard without a single 100-yard rusher or receiver, and that might be their secret weapon.
What makes this so strange is how good the Chiefs have been on offense. It’s not exactly like the Chiefs have been struggling to move the ball, right? The Chiefs are top five in the NFL in yards (3,026), yards per game (378.3), passing yards (2,014), and passing yards per game (251.8), and they rank in the top ten in rushing yards (1,012) and rushing yards per game (126.5) as well. Arizona, meanwhile, is in the bottom half of the league for all of those categories. And yet, for this one specific metric, two teams with totally different offensive productivity and firepower are lumped together. Go figure.
It isn’t a bad thing that Kansas City hasn’t had a rusher or receiver hit triple digits. It’s just odd that it hasn’t happened when you consider how potent the Chiefs are on offense. However, that might actually be the key to why K.C. has been so hard for other defenses to stop: that ability and willingness to share the ball around. Not only do the Chiefs have so many talented players on their menu to choose from, but they also make sure each of them gets a seat at the table. It’s the options that make Kansas City so dangerous.
“Variety is the spice of life,” said 18th-century English poet William Cowper back in the day. It turns out that variety is also the secret ingredient to a fantastic offense in 2025 as well.
So you might be wondering: if it hasn’t happened this season, when was the last time the Chiefs had a receiver or a rusher go for 100 yards or more? It almost happened on Monday night. Tight end Travis Kelce had exactly 99 yards against the Washington Commanders, leaving him one yard shy of the magical number. Hollywood Brown had 99 yards, too, back in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Tyquan Thornton had 90 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The last Chief to do it was Xavier Worthy, who had 157 yards in Super Bowl LIX. Before that, Kelce had 117 yards in the Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans. But it has been even longer since the Chiefs had a 100-yard rusher. Week 8 last season was the last time it happened, when Kareem Hunt had 106 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chiefs only had two games with a 100-yard rusher last year, and the other occasion was when Hunt had 102 yards against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.