One encouraging Kadarius Toney stat should leave Chiefs fans hopeful
Kansas City Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney was the subject of much frustration in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. The second-year Chief was targeted five times during the season opener and caught just one pass for one yard. Pro Football Focus credited him with two dropped passes on the night and his 29.7 overall grade was the […]
Kansas City Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney was the subject of much frustration in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions.
The second-year Chief was targeted five times during the season opener and caught just one pass for one yard. Pro Football Focus credited him with two dropped passes on the night and his 29.7 overall grade was the lowest by a receiver since the 2018 NFL season. It was about as horrible of a performance as he could have possibly had in a single game.
The night was a big-time struggle for the 24-year-old wide receiver, but there was one stat recorded that should give fans some hope moving forward.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Toney averaged 3.1 yards of separation on Thursday night. That means the nearest defender at the time of catch (or in Toney's case incompletion) was on average 3.1 yards away from Toney. That was the top number by a Chiefs receiver against the Lions, and it ranks in the Top 25 in the NFL through Sunday's slate of games. Toney was one of only two K.C. receivers to land in the Top 50 for average yards of separation this week, joining rookie WR Rashee Rice (2.7). To put Toney's number into context, Toney had better average yards of separation than Tyreek Hill had in Week 1.
Basically, Toney was getting open and getting open often against Detroit. That's a really good sign when you consider what it took for him to play in that game. Toney, of course, missed the entirety of the preseason and most of training camp after he suffered a meniscus injury that required surgical repair. He attacked his rehab and he's showing no signs of limitation due to his injury. He's still the dynamic weapon that Kansas City knows him to be, but he needs to get the drops under control and gain some confidence back as the team moves forward.
Chiefs receivers struggled with more than drops in Week 1
The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense was out of sync for more reasons than wide receivers having a case of the drops.
Featured image via Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
