2. The wide receivers aren't good
The Chiefs wide receivers are not good enough. Period. They have the best pass-catching tight end in football in Travis Kelce. Rashee Rice looks like a great weapon that will probably never be a true number one, but could be part of a good wide receiver room, and Justin Watson who looks like a solid 4th receiver off the bench who is good for a big play every now and then. The rest, despite all our hopes, is bad.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a bad starting wide receiver. Yes, he can stretch a defense, but he's a poor route runner who isn't reliable and only really acts as a decoy. Kadarius Toney, despite flashing some big-play upside every once in a while, is bad at actually playing the wide receiver position. He's been in K.C. about a year and either doesn't know the offense well enough to play more than a handful of gadget plays or can't beat out Skyy Moore for snaps. Speaking of Moore, he now officially looks like a bust. He's getting plenty of snaps and Mahomes doesn't trust him. The few times he does, he frequently disappoints like he did on the dropped touchdown throw versus Denver.
The Chiefs brought back Mecole Hardman, but he's never been more than a role player (and more on him on special teams in a minute). The Chiefs don't have anyone they can rely on outside of Kelce and don't have anyone with any realistic hope of becoming more than they are now outside of Rice. It's not enough for a pass-heavy offense with the best quarterback in the NFL.
The last thing the Chiefs need to do is trade for another role player at the trade deadline. They have more of those than they can play on a weekly basis. They either need to pony up and trade for a true difference-maker or make sure they draft one in the first round of a loaded class in the upcoming draft. Short of that, they are going to have to make do with what they have and I worry it may not be enough to win another Super Bowl.
Since we brought up Hardman as a receiver, let's go to the return game next.