The opportunity was never so perfect for Kansas City Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling with under two minutes left. He burnt Philadelphia Eagles slot CB Bradley Roby, with nothing but the end zone in front of him. The veteran was in prime position to give the Chiefs the lead for good.
But he stumbled and botched his touchdown attempt, which became a stunning theme of the night for the defending Super Bowl champs.
The case of the drops filled Arrowhead Stadium in the highly hyped rematch of the Super Bowl, which additionally offered a potential preview of Super Bowl LVIII. In the end, the Chiefs dropped the rematch 21-17 to the Eagles. Concerns about the defending champs engulfed the online world — with the botched catch attempts as the elephant in the room.
Who Dropped Passes for the Kansas City Chiefs? And How Many Total on MNF?
To answer the second question, K.C. pass catchers botched five total passes.
The Valdes-Scantling one, though, was the fourth drop for the Chiefs. And again, this could’ve been the go-ahead touchdown from the arm of QB Patrick Mahomes.
The #Chiefs were this close to taking the lead. pic.twitter.com/B0bGWrUKo4
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 21, 2023
But who else couldn’t haul in catches? Even All-Pro TE Travis Kelce lost an opportunity to convert on a third-and-short connection.
And the final missed reception directed toward WR Justin Watson would’ve given the Chiefs the first down on 4th-and-25, but the attempt bounced off his hands.
Turnover on downs. Eagles ball!
📺: #PHIvsKC on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/f0JSux0GFT pic.twitter.com/55KEaDMeb1— NFL (@NFL) November 21, 2023
In total, the champs now have this stunning league-leading number:
Not the stats you want to lead the #NFL in 😬 pic.twitter.com/2JAcwts3Rg
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 21, 2023
Chiefs Offer Strong Reactions to Drops
The now 7-3 Chiefs delivered a blunt take on themselves after the game.
First up was Kelce, who owned up to his mistakes.
“I’ve got to be better,” Kelce said in the locker room, per Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star. “I’m not playing up to the level I’ve had in the past. I’ve got to be better.”
Head coach Andy Reid described the night as one with mental errors on the Chiefs’ side.
“I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. I’ve got to help out on that. We’ll work on that,” Reid told reporters after the loss.
MORE: NFL Offense Rankings 2023
He included that the drops have nothing to do with a lack of chemistry between the receivers and Mahomes.
“They know the route they’re running. We have to do a better job connecting on that,” Reid said.
Mahomes, meanwhile, preached about needing to finish games offensively. However, he shared his own guilt in being responsible for the drops.
“I didn’t make good enough passes in certain situations,” Mahomes told reporters. “Offensively, we’re not where we want to be at. It starts with me.”
However, this postgame reaction involving MVS summed up the kind of night the Chiefs had.
MVS was not happy after one of the #Chiefs league-leading 2️⃣6️⃣ drops this season. pic.twitter.com/wCmj1MWVhD
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 21, 2023
Valdes-Scantling can be seen visibly frustrated, as he slammed his helmet against the wall on his way out of Arrowhead Stadium. It was a tough scene for such a young, talented player, but it perfectly epitomized the way many Chiefs fans likely felt while watching that game.
The Chiefs have now fallen to second in the AFC standings behind the Baltimore Ravens. Next week, they need to travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders in an important AFC West showdown. Then, three weeks from now, they face the Buffalo Bills.
The path to the top seed in the AFC isn’t too difficult, but they will now need some help — not just from the Ravens’ opponents, but their wide receivers as well.
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