Injuries are really starting to pile up on the offensive side of the ball for the undefeated 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs.
Wideout Hollywood Brown is out for the regular season, running back Isiah Pacheco is out at least another month, and receiver Rashee Rice is feared to have suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Sunday in a 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. While head coach Andy Reid is an offensive wizard and Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL, winning at such a high clip doesn't seem sustainable with injuries to these key contributors.
The Chiefs rank No. 14 in yards per game (328.3), and Mahomes is off to a pedestrian start, too. While Mahomes is tied for fifth in passing touchdowns with six, he's thrown five interceptions, second-most in the NFL. Mahomes has a below-average ESPN QBR of 53.1, which ranks No. 17 and is indicative of how the season has looked offensively for the Chiefs. Even the greats can fall down to Earth when other parts of the machine are breaking down.
Yet great teams seem to find ways to do more with less, and that may continue to be the case for Kansas City. However, if its numbers remain average, it would be fair to assume its win-loss total will even out.
Tight end Travis Kelce along with rookie speedster Xavier Worthy will now be the top receiving targets for Mahomes with Rice and Brown out of the equation. Even with less depth at receiver Andy Reid doesn't expect the passing offense to deviate much from their usual gameplan.
"We've got a good group of guys there that we can utilize. We normally spread the ball around, and that's what we'll continue to strive to do," Reid said on Monday.
Kansas City's four wins have all been by a touchdown or less, winning these games by a combined margin of 20 points. It seems equally foolish to believe the Chiefs can keep winning in this manner despite injuries as it is to count Reid and Mahomes out. What happens next for Kansas City is anyone's guess.
