Patrick Mahomes Defends Beleaguered Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney

The Kansas City quarterback stood by his wide receiver after Thursday’s loss.

Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney had a rough Thursday night to open the NFL season, as the veteran dropped passes in key moments of his team’s 21-20 loss to the Lions. Among his mistakes were a drop that led to a pick-six and a drop that would’ve put Kansas City in field goal range late in the game.

While many fans were upset over Toney’s performance, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes went out of his way to defend Toney after the game.

“I have trust in KT. He missed a lot of training camp,” Mahomes said, via NFL.com. “Stuff is not always going to go your way. Obviously, he would have wanted to catch a few of those in the game, but I have trust that he is going to be the guy that I go to in those crucial moments, and he’s going to make the catch and win us some games like he did last year and get him more and more reps. I’m sure that those drops will disappear.”

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes stuck up for embattled teammate Kadarius Toney after the receiver’s tough night against the Lions :: Jay Biggerstaff/USA Today network

Toney missed the majority of training camp while battling a meniscus injury but was able to recover in time to play in the season opener.

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Last year, after Kansas City acquired Toney from the Giants, the wide receiver recorded 171 receiving yards, 59 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in seven regular-season games. In the playoffs, Toney produced 50 receiving yards and a key touchdown to help Kansas City win the Super Bowl.