Major Opportunity Awaits Chiefs Wide Receivers Vs Chargers

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A few things have often been guaranteed in recent meetings between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers. Among them, are plenty of points, explosive plays through the passing game and efficient quarterback play. There is one glaring question that could significantly hurt the success or frequency of those items, though. Can the depth wide receivers come through with other top pieces being out of the lineup?

Both teams are dealing with significant injuries at the wide receiver position. For the Chiefs, JuJu Smith-Schuster will not play Sunday night. He is in concussion protocol after taking a vicious hit to the head/neck area last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On top of that, Mecole Hardman was placed on the injured reserve list on Thursday with an abdominal injury, knocking him out for a minimum of four games.

The Los Angeles offense could very well get Keenan Allen and Mike Williams back on Sunday night. Their absences in recent games appear to have put a major ceiling on the Chargers’ success. Allen has been hindered by a hamstring injury seemingly all season long, playing in just two total games. Whereas with Williams, he is dealing with an ankle injury. Both LA receivers were limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. However, the duo upgraded to full practice participants on Friday. Each of Allen and Williams are officially questionable for Sunday night, in the end.

Focusing on the Kansas City Chiefs and their wide receiver injuries, there will be distinct skill sets that will be absent. How could that affect their offensive attack, if at all? Plus, what will this opportunity mean for the Chiefs depth wide receivers going forward? Let’s kick it off.

What Will Kansas City Miss Without JuJu And Mecole?

First and foremost, Smith-Schuster has been the most productive Chiefs player from the wide receiver position. That added trust, experience and football IQ will be absent in crucial spots. Kansas City also misses the added size and physicality at the catch point that JuJu creates. Smith-Schuster has been tremendous at finding the soft spots in zones, to boot.

As for Hardman, his obvious long speed will be absent for the Chiefs. Kansas City certainly has some other speed in the group of healthy wide receivers. But, there is a certain gear that Hardman offers that is largely unmatched. On the flip side, this player can offer some important spatial awareness in various parts of the field.

If you look at the top four healthy wide receivers, Kansas City can still boast tremendous awareness and quickness. That is especially true with the pair of Kadarius Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Consistency may always be a question for those two. Nevertheless, the Chiefs enjoyed strong days from each of those wide receivers last week.

Finally, Justin Watson can offer some semblance of size, vertical stretch ability and strength at the catch point, even if it is not a carbon copy of Smith-Schuster. Rookie Skyy Moore has seen very little chances on offense. We know he is shifty as a route runner, while also offering immense separation quickness. How will he respond with a chance at more targets?

Do Chiefs Alter Game Plan Due To Depth Pass Catchers?

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Surely, the Chiefs will not completely change their offensive scheme. There could be a greater emphasis on quicker passes, if need be. Rather than waiting for deeper or longer routes to develop, Kansas City may look for quick hitters and yards after the catch. That could be especially true, because of the speed and range of the Chargers secondary.

We know Andy Reid is a wizard at designing gimmicked touches, screen passes and man coverage beaters. The question is, will Patrick Mahomes be looking to attack aggressively? Or, does the Kansas City signal caller opt to use his eyes, improvisation and arm talent to thwart the Los Angeles defenders? Finding that balance and giving the Chiefs depth wide receivers confidence will be vital early on in this AFC West showdown.

More importantly, do the Chiefs look to attack with a bit more balance? We saw Kansas City have some success with the running game last week. Most of that was created by rookie Isiah Pacheco, who appears to have earned the starting role. After all, more success on the ground leaves the ball in Mahomes’ hands more often, compared to chances for Justin Herbert. If the Chiefs run the ball well again, they also become more unpredictable with their attack.

Opportunity For Present And Future

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Losing names like Smith-Schuster and Hardman may not be the most optimal outcome for a division matchup. Yet, there are plenty of positives that could arise, due to this opportunity for the Chiefs depth wide receivers. Valdes-Scantling and Toney were already set to be proper mismatches late in the season. Despite that, both of those two could still look to round out more constant production.

As for Watson and Moore, a good showing this weekend could offer them more targets as the season gets deeper. Watson was a favorite of Mahomes and built proper chemistry with the quarterback this offseason. Meanwhile, Moore is eventually going to be counted on to be a weekly threat. That time has not come yet. Moore still has the chance to add a sense of explosiveness late this season. If anything, all four of these Chiefs wide receivers can build proper confidence for this upcoming postseason and for future seasons with a solid showing this weekend against the Chargers.

Be on the lookout for our FPC Chiefs recap articles and analysis following Sunday’s game. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.