Chiefs' Mahomes: 'I have trust' in Kadarius Toney
Although Patrick Mahomes and Kadarius Toney struggled to get anything going for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night, the quarterback said he still has faith in his young pass-catcher.
"He wanted to play and fought in rehab hard so he could play," Mahomes said, according to Kevin Patra of NFL Network. "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."
The pair combined for just one catch on eight targets. Toney featured heavily in the Chiefs' offense but had 1 receiving yard and multiple dropped passes. One of the drops led to a pick-6 that swung the momentum in the Lions' favor in the third quarter.
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Meanwhile, second-year wideout Skyy Moore had zero catches on three targets, including a drop late in the game on fourth down.
"We missed connections here and there," Mahomes said of Moore. "But (it's) something you have to continue to work on. Like I said, he is one of those guys who has a ton of talent that can make a lot of big plays happen, so we'll learn from it and try to be better next time."
Chiefs wide receivers combined for only 135 receiving yards and one touchdown, and Mahomes was 2 for 12 with one interception when targeting his wideouts in the second half, according to ESPN. Kansas City's four dropped passes are tied for second most in a game with Mahomes as the starting QB.
The Chiefs were without star tight end Travis Kelce after he hyperextended his knee in practice Tuesday. He led the team in receiving yards last season.
"No excuses at all. We've got guys that can play," head coach Andy Reid said after the game, according to the Associated Press.
Kansas City takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.
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