If there is one area to be concerned about, though,
it’s the Chiefs receiving corps—a group that gives the team absolutely nothing on key passing downs. Overall, Kansas City ranks 26th in EPA per play on throws to receivers, according to TruMedia. On passing downs, which include second- and third-and-long situations, Mahomes is averaging minus-0.05 EPA when throwing to his wideouts. That’s where you’ll find a significant difference between the 2023 passing game and the one that led the league in just about every metric in 2022.
Mahomes’s EPA Average on WR Targets, 2022 Vs. 2023 (via TruMedia)
Position Season Late Downs Early Downs
WR 2022 0.59 0.24
WR 2023 -0.19 0.22
JuJu Smith-Schuster emerged as the go-to guy when defenses sold out to stop Travis Kelce last season, and Kansas City has been unable to find a replacement for him.
If the Chiefs look to make a deadline deal for a receiver, they don’t need to sell out to land a star. They just need to find a chain-mover—maybe even Smith-Schuster himself, who might be available after he got off to a slow start in New England. That should be more than enough to get this offense where it needs to go.
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/1...hargers-ravens
Mahomes is averaging minus-0.05 EPA when throwing to his wideouts.
26th in the NFL with Patrick Bleeping Mahomes throwing to you?!!!
Disgustingly bad.