zach bacharContributor IDecember 19, 2023
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Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-17 victory over the New England Patriots, Patrick Mahomes addressed the issue of dropped passes among the team’s wide receivers.
“I think it’s just, the guys gotta have the confidence to know that I’m gonna keep throwing it back to them and they gotta make the plays happen,” Mahomes told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It’s part of football. Obviously, been too big of a part this year for us, but I trust the guys. I know how hard they’re working at it.”
Although the 28-year-old threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns against New England’s secondary, he was also intercepted twice. This included a fourth-quarter interception after wide receiver Kadarius Toney bobbled a pass that was ultimately intercepted by linebacker Jahlani Tavai.
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Deflected and picked off by the @Patriots defense
📺: #KCvsNE on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/kw7mays4qU pic.twitter.com/mkIJBSjcrD
Kadarius Toney and rookie wideout Rashee Rice have the second and third-highest drop percentage per target among all wide receivers this season, according to Pro Football Reference. Deep threat Marquez Valdes-Scantling has only dropped two passes this year, although one of them came on a potential go-ahead touchdown throw from Mahomes at the end of the Chiefs’ Week 11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Chiefs had a chance to score the go-ahead TD on this play 😬 pic.twitter.com/lFR4oMLOna
“I think it’s all confidence,” Mahomes said, per Florio. “I think that those guys can catch the football. I’ve seen some of those guys make the best catches I think I’ve ever seen. So I think it’s just going out there playing confident, being them, and if they do that, that stuff will kind of help itself.”
He’ll expect more consistency from his receivers in the Chiefs’ upcoming matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16. The Raiders allow just 209.6 passing yards per game, the 11th-best mark in the NFL.
