Chiefs News: Andy Reid “wants to use all” wide receivers against Bills

A key oddity in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 23-14 Divisional Round playoff win over the Houston Texans was the team’s use of the wide receiver room.

Rookie Xavier Worthy was the only wideout to record a catch and finished the game with five receptions for 45 yards. Veterans Hollywood Brown, DeAndre Hopkins and JuJu Smith-Schuster combined for just four incomplete goals, with only Brown on the field for more than half of Kansas City’s 49 offensive shots.

Before Wednesday’s practice, head coach Andy Reid denied any significance to the final snap count or target percentage.

“That’s how it worked,” Reid explained. “We want to use them all. They are all good players. Since there was only one ball, it happened to fly in the other direction. It’s not for some reason it hasn’t occurred to them – they’re all part of it.”

The other direction the ball went was tight end Travis Kelce – who turned back the clock with a classic stat line of seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

After Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes attributed Kelce’s monster performance to the amount of attention players like Brown and Hopkins saw.

“Attention was paid to Brown and Hopkins,” the face of the league recalled, “and they made sure those guys were pressured.” That freed up the middle of the field for Travis. That’s how you have to act in this league.

“Whenever certain matchups work for you, go for those. You still want to have that option, I thought, and I think we’re going to try to get better this week by giving them more and more chances down the stretch.”

Mahomes also described how Brown impacted the game even without recording a catch. In the second quarter, the two narrowly missed a deep pass that would have put the Chiefs in the red zone. On the next play, Mahomes found Kelce on the run for a 49-yard gain to the Houston 6-yard line. Three plays later, the Chiefs scored their first touchdown of the afternoon.

Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

“Even on the play where we didn’t make it — the play down the field — it kind of scared them,” Mahomes noted. “On the next play, Travis hits one over the middle and makes a big play. That’s the versatility of the offense – just figuring out what works best that day.”

Hopkins also spoke before practice on Wednesday. The veteran denied that his limited action was due to injury, and he was not among the four Chiefs listed on Wednesday’s initial injury report.

“I feel good,” Hopkins explained.

Brown returned last month after missing most of the season with a shoulder injury. Reid noted that having nearly all of the team’s offensive weapons at his disposal has been beneficial in recent weeks, but reiterated that deeper space results in fewer opportunities for individual players.

“The last few weeks have been great,” said the coach. “Everyone was up and ready to go. So it wasn’t a problem. They all get in and get the chance to play. When it comes to passing, it just depends on where the ball goes. We have complete confidence in all of them. They’re all really good players.”