Patrick Mahomes’ ‘Cheetah-D’ Out of WR Options as 60 Drops Hurt Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Hopes

The defending champions Kansas City Chiefs are in a heap of trouble and it’s visible to everyone. Their loss against rivals Philadelphia Eagles was just another proof of their dwindling form. A rematch of Super Bowl LVII, which the Chiefs surprisingly lost after their SB win, shows only one thing. They miss ‘Cheetah’ on the field!

Patrick Mahomes is skilled and talented but now lacks quality options around him. A shocking statistic shows, it is not just fans, but the QB misses the WR as well. With 60 catches being dropped in the last season and a half. Amidst Hill’s absence, can the Chiefs overcome this barrage of dropped catches?

Patrick Mahomes looks around to find nobody

Last season, the Chiefs dropped the ball 34 times including in the postseason games. But in 10 games that have been played so far, dropped catches have reached up to 26! Taking the total to a whopping 60 dropped catches. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling the direct replacement for Hill dropped 6 and caught 78 last season, while just 14 catches this season and 2 drops. WR Rashee Rice, who was brought in this year to fill the WR gap, has dropped 5, catching only 36. And this has affected Mahomes as well.

With no quality WRs around him, the 28-year-old must rely on his TE, Travis Kelce, for successful catches. Kelce has caught the ball 64 times. More than the next three WRs on the team in terms of game time. Mahomes’ entire strategy and gameplay have changed, and the difference can be seen in the Chiefs’ 7-3 record this season. Is the QB missing Cheetah?

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Mahomes and Tyreek Hill terrified the NFL defenses for years, even clinching a Super Bowl in 2020. But this partnership was broken up in 2022 as Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs received a first-round pick and a third-round pick from the Dolphins. They hoped to bolster the WR position in the drafts, but it’s been quite sometime now and the catches keep getting dropped. It seems the gap that Hill left is starting to develop cracks in the Chiefs’ gameplay.

Mahomes needs Hill to flourish

Even though the Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season without Cheetah, they are starting to face problems. Hill was selected by the Chiefs at the 2016 NFL Draft and Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft. Both grabbed the starter position towards the end of 2017.

The duo did it all on the football field. Mahomes with his incredible throwing used to find Hill. And Cheetah exemplified his ferocious speed upon the defense. The Chiefs became an offensive threat in the NFL, like no other team, thanks to their coordination. But times have changed now.

Hill has built an incredible partnership with the Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, catching 88 passes just this season. He’s excelling with 119 catches in his last season, dropping only 16 in the last two seasons. QB Patrick Mahomes, on the other hand, is left with error-prone WRs like Rashee Rice and Justin Watson. Hence, his focus is now on TE Kelce. What do you think about the Chiefs’ dropping catches all season long? Let us know in the comments.

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