Chiefs' Kelce defends Toney: 'I’m trusting in 19 every time'
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce defended teammate Kadarius Toney after his offsides penalty negated a go-ahead touchdown late in Sunday's game versus the Buffalo Bills.
"He's one of the best players we got with the ball in his hands. ... Everybody hatin' on KT right now, you can f-----g miss me with it," Kelce said on the "New Heights" podcast. "I'm trusting in 19 every time he's out there on the field."
On the play, Kelce tossed a lateral to Toney after a 25-yard gain, opening a lane for him to go for 24 yards for the score in one of the most exciting plays of the year. However, it was nullified due to Toney lining up offsides pre-snap.
Play was called back but can't believe Kelce tried this
- NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2023
: #BUFvsKC on CBS
: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pWMED8SAQa pic.twitter.com/LREwwhaQ1N
Kansas City went on to lose the game after Patrick Mahomes threw three straight incompletions.
This isn't the first time this season Toney has received criticism for in-game mistakes. The Florida product had multiple drops in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, one of which turned into a pick-6.
Toney has failed to live up to expectations since the Chiefs acquired him for third- and sixth-round picks midway through the 2022 season. The 24-year-old has 335 receiving yards in 19 regular-season games since joining Kansas City.
"Just be you, man. ... You make one mistake, that's not gonna define you,"
Mahomes said of Toney on Wednesday, according to PJ Green of Fox4KC. "It's gonna be how you respond to that mistake."
Kansas City's wide receivers have struggled to provide consistent production for Mahomes this year. They have an 8% drop rate on targets this season, the worst mark in the NFL over the last decade, according to Bill Barnwell of ESPN.
The 8-5 Chiefs will look to bounce back Sunday against the New England Patriots.
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