Fansided

Chiefs show what new offensive weapons can do in rout of 49ers

By Matt Verderame

October 23, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) is congratulated by tight end Travis Kelce (87) for scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
October 23, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) is congratulated by tight end Travis Kelce (87) for scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs saw their offense put everything together with a new collection of weapons beginning to gel.

Everything about the Kansas City Chiefs can be summed up by one play.

Third and 11, 12:24 remaining, leading 28-23 against the ferocious San Francisco 49ers defense at Levi’s Stadium. Patrick Mahomes wasn’t looking for a first down, he wanted the backbreaker.

Buoyed by perfect protection, Mahomes took a deep drop and lofted a perfect rainbow to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who badly beat former Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward for a 57-yard gain. Three plays later, Mecole Hardman scored his third touchdown of the day, effectively finishing off the Niners.

For Mahomes, the pivotal third down could be trusted to a newcomer. It made the difference.

The Chiefs pounded San Francisco by a 44-23 count, moving to 5-2 going into their bye week. But the score was less important than the route taken to arrive there.

Chiefs are benefitting from a deep pool of receivers for Patrick Mahomes

Valdes-Scantling had three catches for 111 yards. JuJu Smith-Schuster, signed to a one-year deal this offseason, led all receivers with seven catches and 124 yards with a touchdown. The duo has joined All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce to form a dynamic trio for Mahomes, giving him the depth of targets he hasn’t had since Kansas City won the Super Bowl in 2019.

Through seven games, Smith-Schuster is on pace for 1,200 receiving yards, while Valdes-Scantling is looking at 897 yards, a career-high by more than 200. Kelce hasn’t slowed down at age 33, pacing for 1,343 yards, which would be the second-highest total of his playing days.

And while only a fool would suggest an offensive attack is better without Tyreek Hill, it would take the same fool to argue Kansas City isn’t more efficient this season.

Hill notched 1,239 receiving yards on 7.8 yards per target last year, with teams doing all they could to keep Hill and Kelce down with little else to fret over.

This season, Smith-Schuster is averaging 10.3 yards per target, while Valdes-Scantling is at 9.7 in the same statistic. Kelce averaged 8.4 YPT with Hill in 2021. That figure has jumped to 9.2 this season.

Then there’s Mahomes, who is benefitting from a deeper room despite the loss of Hill. Mahomes is tracking to throw for 5,243 yards and 49 touchdowns, putting him squarely in the MVP race. This despite playing a trio of defenses that ranked top-five at the time of playing them, including the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco.

Coming out of the bye, the schedule opens up considerably for the high-octane Chiefs. Kansas City has home games against the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars before squaring off against the Los Angeles Chargers in a key divisional game. After that, the Chiefs will be significant favorites in every one of their affairs, save for what should be a terrific tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.

The Chiefs are starting to hit their stride, showcasing depth they haven’t enjoyed in years.

One play from Sunday told the story, and it’s a terrifying one of the rest of the league.

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