All season, the Kansas City Chiefs have been waiting for the offense to hit its stride. But if Sunday’s game against the Chargers was indicative of the future, teams better look out.
The Chiefs had their best offensive showing of the year in their 31-17 win at Arrowhead Stadium. And while Patrick Mahomes continued to lean on Travis Kelce, who had 12 catches for 179 yards, the supporting cast came up big as Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rashee Rice and Mecole Hardman all made crucial plays.
“We’re taking steps in the right direction,” said Mahomes, who threw for 424 yards and four touchdowns. “I think guys just stepped up. If they’re going to focus that much on Travis — obviously we’re still going to try to throw him the football in certain areas. But other guys are going to have to make plays. And guys stepped up and made a lot of big catches, and I think that’s what our offense is going to continue to be.
“Obviously there’s going to be a big dose of Travis being the player that he is. But if we want to continue to get to that next step as an offense and as a team, we’re going to have to let other guys make plays when it counts. And I thought the guys did a good job of that today.”
Valdes-Scantling had three catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, Rice had five catches for 60 yards and a touchdown, and Hardman had a big catch for six yards in the fourth quarter that gave the Chiefs a first down. Six players later Mahomes found Isiah Pacheco out of the backfield for an 8-yard touchdown that put the game away.
Hardman, who was reacquired midweek last week, also set up Pacheco’s touchdown with a 50-yard punt return. Mahomes found Hardman on a long crossing route after he worked through defenders, starting on the other side of the field.
“He was using his speed getting through traffic and making a big catch to get that first down,” Mahomes said of Hardman. “It’s impressive because he didn’t have the season he wanted to in New York. But to be able to come back and have confidence and not be down on himself and know that whenever he gets his opportunity do the most with it. And obviously the punt return really helped put the game away. And it’s another piece that we can add to the offense and that speed is hard to replicate.”
Rice also is improving fast for the Chiefs (6-1). The team’s second-round draft pick out of SMU has come on strong the last few weeks, catching touchdowns in two of his last three games. Rice has 26 catches for 305 yards and three touchdowns for the season, and Mahomes said the 6-foot-2, 203-pound rookie is working hard to improve.
“He’s just learning not only from me, but from Travis and from Marquez,” Mahomes said. “He takes the information well and he learns. And we continue to give him more, and he continues to get better and better.”
So, too, is the Chiefs offense. Mahomes completed passes to 10 different receivers, and coach Andy Reid says the next challenge is playing well against a team they’ve already played. They’ll get that test this Sunday at Denver.
“We’ve just got to keep growing here,” Reid said. “We’ve got another AFC west team coming up here with Denver, and they’ll have another plan for us. But the guys are working through all of that. And this is a new road. You have a chance to play a team twice, and that’s a different thing. They know you and you have an idea about them. But they’re getting better at it — the young guys.”
