Entering Week 9, the Chiefs rank No. 4 in total yards but No. 12 in points scored.
That’s a shift from the club’s normal rate of scoring since quarterback Patrick Mahomes took over as the team’s starter in 2018.
The team’s receiving corps has received some significant criticism for its lack of production. But star tight end Travis Kelce defended the group during his Friday press conference in Frankfurt, Germany, where the Chiefs will play the Dolphins on Sunday.
“This team has every piece that it needs to be great,” Kelce said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN. “Everybody can talk about whatever they want to talk about; ‘That’s our weakness.’
“I know that we’ve got a team that can put points up and I know we’ve got the coaches to be able to put us in the great positions to succeed and that’s where we’re moving going forward and it just takes guys to lock in and just be ready for those big-time moments when we need them most.”
Kansas City lost to Denver for the first time since 2015 last week, in no small part because the club committed five giveaways. That’s one big thing Kelce said the Chiefs have to solve going forward.
“If you watch that game, there’s a lot of turnovers, and the statistics for when you turn the ball over, they’re not very high on winning,” Kelce said. “So, the biggest thing for us is being able to control those turnovers, being able to control the dropped passes.
“There’s a few missed assignments and I take accountability in all this and I think everybody in that locker room on the offensive side has taken that same approach this week.”
Kelce leads the team with 54 catches, 583 receiving yards, and four touchdowns, despite missing the season-opening loss to Detroit. Rookie receiver Rashee Rice is second with 30 receptions for 361 yards with three touchdowns this season.