Few humans can say they know how it feels to be the go-to target in a clutch moment with Patrick Mahomes catching the ball. Tyreek Hill is one of those few.
Though the Kansas City Chiefs looked largely dominant in the first half on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of last year's Super Bowl, the Chiefs second-half woes continued as the team failed to score a single point in the final two frames of the game, blowing the 10-point lead they entered the half with.
While an offensive absence for an entire half necessitates blame to more than just one person, Marquez Valdes-Scantling became the scapegoat of the evening after he dropped a long pass from Mahomes with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
MVS beat his defender as Mahomes launched it over 50 yards in the air, but he stumbled and dropped the ball. Two incomplete passes followed for the Chiefs and the Eagles would win, 21-17.
Tyreek Hill appears to defend Marquez Valdes-Scantling for dropped pass
Hill took to Twitter to defend MVS after the crucial dropped pass. Hill appears to indicate the difficulty of the catch was increased by the fact that the game was at night with stadium lights on:
In isolation, despite the potential value of a complete pass there, it was a hard catch to make. Hill isn't wrong about that.
The more frustrating element is the fact that MVS didn't have a catch the entire game on his three targets. Kansas City receivers also tie with the Lions for the league-worst 18 drops this season. MVS has not been the proprietor of most of the dropped passes (Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce and Kadarius Toney have combined for 10 this year) but it aggravates the issue with the Chiefs: No go-to receiver exists for Mahomes to air it out to in big plays.
Though the Chiefs survived without Hill, formerly Mahomes' top receiver, winning a Super Bowl without him last year, the issue has worsened as the Chiefs have failed to backfill his role.
By yardage and targets, Kelce is the top receiver in 2023. But his role as a tight end doesn't suit him as the hail-mary type of receiver the Chiefs may need in must-win games like Week 11's against the Eagles. They need someone with speed and agility to run go-routes in situations like Monday night's.
The team was thought to be interested in receivers at the trade deadline -- and did acquire Mecole Hardman from the Jets just ahead of the deadline -- but didn't make a big splash on that front.
Mahomes continues to be able to place the ball, but he needs someone to actually catch it. Thus far, no one has stepped up to fill that role. MVS did not prove he could be the guy last night, even if it was a tough catch to make.
