The Kansas City Chiefs are determined to reclaim their status as one of the NFL's most explosive offenses in the upcoming 2024 season.
Despite winning the Super Bowl in 2023, the Chiefs' offense never quite reached its full potential, finishing a disappointing 15th in points scored, the lowest ranking of the Patrick Mahomes era.
Mahomes himself acknowledged the team's offensive struggles, noting that although they won the Super Bowl, they didn't play the way they wanted all year long offensively.
The Chiefs' reliance on short, intermediate throws hindered their ability to generate explosive plays downfield, with only 13% of Mahomes' passes traveling 20+ yards—the lowest percentage of his career.
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Patrick Mahomes: "We Didn't Play How We Wanted Offensively" in 2023
The Chiefs managed to win their second straight Super Bowl despite struggling on offense at times. Will that change in 2024?
Addressing the Need for Speed
How the new receivers complement each other and Mahomes' playing style
To remedy this issue, the Chiefs made significant moves in the offseason, adding speed and explosiveness to their receiving corps.
The signing of Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and selection of rookie Xavier Worthy, coupled with the return of a healthy Rashee Rice (when/if he returns from a possible suspension), have given Mahomes a new hope.
The addition of Rashee Rice in the 2023 draft as a reliable target helped offset the loss of Tyreek Hill, but the offense still lacked the consistent downfield threat that Hill provided.
Mahomes recently spoke about the team's desire to recapture their explosive potential:
I think we've done a great job of mastering the intermediate and short stuff, but we want to get back to having that part of the offense as well. Coach Reid is really pushing us to push it down the field. It's hard to do against our defense, but we're trying to make it happen.
Brown, who has battled injuries in his career, now has the opportunity to thrive alongside the league's best quarterback. Worthy, a dynamic playmaker out of Texas, set a new NFL Combine record with a 4.21 40-yard dash, and brings a new dimension to the Chiefs' offense.
Comparing the Chiefs' Offense: 2023 vs. Previous Years
The Chiefs 2023 offense was by far the worst of the Mahomian era
The Chiefs' offense struggled at times during the 2023 season compared to their previous years under Mahomes and Andy Reid.
While they still managed to win the Super Bowl, Mahomes acknowledged the team "didn't play our best football" and that the season "wasn't a lot of fun" due to their inconsistent performance on offense:
Yeah, I mean, obviously the end result was awesome, but I think a lot of us still have a weird feeling in our mouth because we really didn't play football the way we wanted to play all year long. It wasn't fun. Every single week, trying to just continue to get better and better and results not paying off the way you want them to -- it wasn't a lot of fun.
In 2023, they posted their lowest yards per game (357.9) and points per game (22.2) averages of the Mahomes era, ranking 9th and 15th respectively.
Mahomes himself had a "down" year statistically, posting career-lows in yards per attempt to wide receivers (7.7), overall yards per attempt (7.0), TD rate (4.5), yards per game (261.4), and passer rating (92.6) while also posting a career high in interceptions, with 14.
|
Chiefs Offensive Rankings Under Mahomes |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Year |
Yards/Game |
Points/Game |
|
2018 |
425.6 (1st) |
35.3 (1st) |
|
2019 |
379.2 (6th) |
28.2 (5th) |
|
2020 |
415.8 (1st) |
29.6 (6th) |
|
2021 |
396.8 (3rd) |
28.2 (4th) |
|
2022 |
413.6 (1st) |
29.2 (1st) |
|
2023 |
357.9 (9th) |
22.2 (15th) |
The Chiefs struggled with drops (they led the league, with 44), fumbles, interceptions, and pass protection issues in 2023. Their wide receivers had the highest drop rate in the league, and the team grappled with 11 fumbles lost and 17 interceptions. The offensive line also faced difficulties, with a 36.4% pressure rate that ranked 20th.
Reasons for the Offensive Struggles
Impact of coaching decisions
The Chiefs' offense struggled in 2023, leading to their lowest offensive totals of the Reid-Mahomes era. Several factors contributed to these struggles:
- Lack of Explosiveness: The Chiefs' reliance on short throws hindered their ability to generate explosive plays downfield. Mahomes' passes traveled less than five yards from the line of scrimmage more than half the time, with only 13% of his passes going 20+ yards, the lowest percentage of his career.
- Drops: The Chiefs' receiving corps struggled with drops during their regular season, leading the NFL with 44 total drops and a 6.9% drop rate—also the highest in the league, which significantly impacted their offense. This issue was exacerbated by the wide receivers' mental mistakes, such as running the wrong routes, unnecessary penalties, and failing to come back to the ball.
- Quarterback Pressure: The offensive line struggled, allowing a 36.4% quarterback pressure rate, ranking 20th in the NFL. This pressure disrupted Mahomes' ability to make plays downfield and contributed to his high interception rate and low efficiency.
- Inconsistent Wide Receiver Performance: The wide receiver corps struggled to meet expectations, with Rashee Rice serving as the only consistent performer. The team's inability to identify and retain difference-makers at the wide receiver position also hindered their offense.
These factors collectively contributed to the Chiefs' offensive struggles in 2023, despite their Super Bowl victory.
Can the Chiefs Rediscover Their Offensive Dominance?
Addressing the weaknesses identified in the 2023 season
However, the Chiefs' offense found its stride in the playoffs, delivering impressive victories. Mahomes had a 29.1% rate of positively graded plays in the playoffs, up from 23.7% in the regular season. This suggests Reid and Travis Kelce had "dialed it up" in the postseason.
The Chiefs are determined to revitalize their explosive offense in 2024. After a 2023 season that lacked the team's signature downfield passing attack, quarterback Mahomes is adamant about recapturing that high-scoring identity.
The additions of speedy wide receivers Brown and Worthy are expected to provide the speed and playmaking ability the Chiefs were missing last year, when drops and a lack of deep completions plagued the passing attack.
With Mahomes' elite arm talent and improved skill position talent, the Chiefs are poised to once again field one of the NFL's most explosive offenses. As Mahomes stated, the team "wants to get back" to that dynamic, downfield passing game that has made them a perennial Super Bowl contender under him and head coach Reid.
Whether that will be enough to repeat as Super Bowl champions remains to be seen, as they will have to emerge from the gauntlet of the talented AFC.
