Why Chiefs Believe Their ‘Threat’ Can Help Offense Reach New Heights

It wasn’t necessarily the way they wanted to end the preseason but in the same vein, it sort of was. The Kansas City Chiefs‘ most important unit, the first-team offense, looked flat-out dominant against the Chicago Bears on Friday night.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, in particular, was fantastic. Playing multiple drives, the two-time MVP winner went 8-for-13 passing with 143 yards and a touchdown. His 124.8 passer rating certainly did his play justice.

It also featured a good combination of “vintage” Mahomes plays and simply taking what the defense gave him. After the game, Mahomes spoke about his performance.

Screen Game May Help Chiefs Unlock Vertical Passes in 2025

Mahomes focused on one element, specifically: the bubble screen. While it seems very run-of-the-mill and is far from a deep-ball connection, he believes it could unlock the offense in 2025-26.

That’s mainly due to the personnel on the receiving end of those passes, primarily wideout Rashee Rice.

“Yeah, it’s just another threat,” Mahomes said. “I mean, Rashee gets those screens like that and he gets 15-20 yards. That kind of crushes a defense when they’re worried about us going deep and then all of a sudden, we’re hitting screens and getting explosive plays, that kind of completes the offense. Having a guy like Rashee and then, I think Xavier [Worthy] can do that stuff, I think [Marquise] Hollywood [Brown] can do that stuff, and then I think [Jalen] Royals can do that stuff. Having a couple guys, a couple versions of guys that can go out there and make those plays happen, it kind of keeps the defense guessing on where we’re attacking on the field.”

It doesn’t hurt that in the midst of sticking to the plan, Mahomes also hit wideout Tyquan Thornton for a 58-yard bomb.

He may be onto something with the screen comment, though. According to Pro Football Focus, 21.3% of his 2024 attempts came behind the line of scrimmage. He completed 92.7% of those tries. His rate of attempts the year before was even higher. Rice, whose sophomore campaign got cut short due to injury, saw a 28% target share behind the line as a rookie. Mahomes had a remarkable 125.7 passer rating when throwing to him on those.

Brown’s behind-the-line rate from 2023 (4.3%) was low, but he’s an excellent short-area (45.7%) maestro. Both Worthy (28.2%) and Royals (21%) capped off their collegiate careers with plenty of catches behind the line and even more between 0-9 yards from it.

The will is certainly there. Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid are no strangers to letting receivers do the work. With everyone now healthy and available, the versatile skill sets can be put to the test.

Kansas City’s Receiving Corps to Open Regular Season at Full Strength?

Branching off the availability point: Mahomes has weapons to throw to. Last year, Brown suffered a sternoclavicular injury during the preseason and didn’t return until late in the campaign. He wasn’t able to adjust on the fly. Rice broke out to start the year, then got taken out on a friendly-fire tackle by Mahomes in Week 4. He missed the rest of the season.

That thrust a then-rookie Worthy into premier action. It placed more of an emphasis on aging tight end Travis Kelce to produce. That wasn’t a great combination. Heck, Royals wasn’t even on the team yet. Heading into Week 1, things are in better shape.

Sure, Brown has already been banged up and missed the preseason due to an ankle injury. With him practicing, though, he came close to being available for Friday’s game. He’s a candidate to play in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Rice, too, should play unless he reaches a suspension agreement with the NFL before then. The Chiefs and the football world anticipate he’ll eventually miss time, but Kansas City likely will open the year firing on all cylinders.

For an offense that hasn’t enjoyed that luxury for a few years, that’s a welcome sight. With a full complement of pass catchers at his disposal and the ability to threaten defenses from even the most boring of areas on the field, Mahomes is rightfully excited.