Patrick Mahomes Has All Praise for Chiefs’ Receivers After Big Win
Eighteen different Kansas City Chiefs were targeted in the team's 38-10 preseason win over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday. Eight of them were wide receivers, and all eight converted with at least one reception by the end of the night. Fueled by some terrific quarterback play in all four quarters, the league's most explosive offense from a season ago flashed some of its brilliance even in a preseason environment.
For starters (both literally and figuratively), Patrick Mahomes got the ball rolling with a 10-for-15 passing performance. The 2022-23 NFL MVP tossed a first-quarter touchdown to Justin Watson, and he also connected with wideouts Justyn Ross, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice as well. It was an impressive effort from perhaps the best player in football, and he helped many teammates shine with the regular season being less than three short weeks away.
Following Saturday's game, Mahomes was asked about Rice. The Chiefs' second-round pick from SMU finished the night hauling eight passes on nine targets for 96 yards, all team highs for Week 2 of the preseason. The 23-year-old had a very early drop that turned out to be the exact opposite of things to come, and Mahomes complimented his young receiver for settling in and turning in a great performance in his second game as a professional.
"He has good feel," Mahomes said about Rice. "We keep pushing him to be better and better, but you can see the talent. He makes a lot of tough catches. He had the drop early and then he responded well, and I think that just comes with the jitters of being in your first few NFL games. I have a lot of trust in him that he's going to make those catches in tough spaces. He's just another playmaker we have in this offense."
Comparing Rice to former Chiefs receiver Sammy Watkins, Mahomes said the rookie moves like the Chiefs' old 'Lizard King' — someone capable of playing with a tremendous brand of physicality while also maintaining plus speed and working upfield after the catch. Mahomes was quite complimentary of his young wideouts, praising the group as a whole after discussing Rice specifically.
"I was telling you all back in OTAs, I could see the talent one-through-nine-[or]-10," Mahomes said. "We had guys throughout the entire roster that were making plays and you saw guys that kind of went down with injuries that didn't get to play this week but made plays last week... and you saw other guys just step right in and make plays. I think that shows that we have a lot of depth in that receiving room. Like I said, it's a good problem to have because [with] the numbers, you've got to find that right room to get on the roster. I have confidence in all of those guys. We're rotating them in and giving them chances, and they're stepping up whenever the moment's the brightest."
One player who continues to get put on a pedestal and shine is Ross. The former Clemson star has had a long time coming regarding his progress since leaving school, spending the entirety of the 2022 season out of the lineup and off the roster while he worked his way back from an injury. Fully healthy this offseason, the 6-foot-4 receiver made seemingly countless plays during organized team activities and training camp. With each passing highlight of his being tweeted, the hype only grew more and more immense. That's done nothing but translate in the preseason.
After scoring a touchdown last week against the New Orleans Saints, Ross didn't see a ton of action versus the Cardinals but did notch a pair of catches on four targets. He made the most of his reps. His route-running prowess was once again put on full display, and Mahomes is still singing his praises along with those of the rest of the group. When asked about his first-quarter connection with Ross, Mahomes capped off a glowing review of his receiver room by describing what Mahomes Ross so special in his eyes.
"It was a good play," Mahomes said. "We wanted to get him singled up and kind of see what he could do. He's been making it happen all training camp, I think you all have seen that. So we kind of had a slant-and-return play call, and it's a lot of trust in him that he's going to win. He ran a great route, lost the DB, caught the ball and got up the field after the catch. He's got a lot of talent. We've said it: We're going to keep throwing him out there and giving him chances. He's stepped up whenever his number's been called. He's a different receiver than, I think, anyone else — how big he is, how fluid he is and how he can catch the football."
