Another week, and another wide receiver mistake hurt the Kansas City Chiefs.
This time it was a Kadarius Toney drop that led to an interception. Fortunately for the Chiefs, it didn’t cost them the game in a 27-17 road win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.
But it cost them points. And it led to the outward ire of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who’s frustrated with the weekly miscues from arguably the NFL’s least-reliable wide receiver group.
The turnover took place in the fourth quarter with Kansas City holding a 27-10 lead. Mahomes hit Toney in the hands on a first-down pass over the middle. Toney bobbled the ball and left it in the air for Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai to intercept.
Two plays later, running back Kevin Harris ran the ball in for an 18-yard touchdown to cut Kansas City’s lead to 10 points. After the interception, Fox cameras caught Mahomes venting on the sideline.
This has become the theme of the 2023 Chiefs. Entering Sunday, Kansas led the NFL in dropped passes with 34. Toney claimed four of those drops alongside the NFL’s fifth-highest drop percentage (11.8%). While Sunday’s drop didn’t cost Kansas City a win, previous mistakes have impacted the outcomes of high-stakes games.
In Week 11, Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropped a would-be go-ahead touchdown on a perfectly thrown deep ball from Mahomes in the final two minutes of a 21-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Just last week, an offside penalty on Toney wiped out a spectacular go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes of a 20-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Patrick Mahomes has seen more than his share of dropped passes this season. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
In neither instance did Mahomes publicly express frustration with his teammates. After the Valdes-Scantling’s drop, Mahomes told reporters “I’ve got to make better throws” in a showcase of humility. Again, that was a perfectly placed pass.
Mahomes unloaded his frustrations after the touchdown against the Bills was called back. But he targeted the officials who made the call, not Toney.
This time, he couldn’t hide the frustration on his face.
