The Kansas City Chiefs ran out victors against the New England Patriots, edging the game 27-17. However, all the spotlight fell on Chiefs’ receiver, Kadarius Toney, whose recurring mistakes have become a concerning pattern for the team.
The drama unfolded in the fourth quarter, as the Chiefs were consolidating their lead. Patrick Mahomes, the experienced quarterback, delivered a perfectly placed pass to receiver Kadarius Toney, aiming to drive home the scoreline.
However, what resulted was another blot in the copybook for Toney. Instead of pulling off a catch, Toney fumbled the ball straight into the hands of Patriots’ linebacker, Jahlani Tavai, leading the way for a Patriots touchdown.
Following this unfortunate incident, Mahomes didn’t risk another pass targeting Toney for the rest of the game.
This pivotal play might just prove to be the last straw in Toney’s rocky journey with the Chiefs.
After the game, reporters scrutinized Toney’s position in the team, even questioning coach Andy Reid about his future plans involving Toney.
“We’ll see how things go. I’m not down on Toney,” Reid said in his press conference. “He does some good things, man, so we’ve just got to keep — he’s a young guy, so we’re not talking about somebody that has been in this league a long time.”
Andy Reid: I'm not down on Kadarius Toney. https://t.co/XppaRnsXtJ
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 18, 2023
Despite being the Chiefs’ 20th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Toney’s lackluster performance this season couldn’t be sidetracked.
In his three seasons, he’s been featured in 32 games with 10 starts, but his key involvement in critical situations in 2023 has been worryingly inadequate.
Toney’s contribution has been disappointingly scant this season. In his 13 games, he has caught only 27 passes for 169 yards, translating to a dismal performance.
Additionally, his 11 carries for a paltry 31 yards have resulted in just a couple of first downs. In the Sunday clash against the Patriots, Toney dismantled two passes on four targets for a 5 yards.
In terms of player utilization, Toney was on the pitch for 40 percent of Kansas City’s offensive snaps against the Patriots.
Despite Coach Reid trying to brush off concerns about Toney’s performance, observers couldn’t help but speculate about his role in the upcoming clashes.
