Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez breaks down what went wrong with Kadarius Toney's dropped catches
During the Kansas City Chiefs' season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions, wide receiver Kadarius Toney was heavily criticized for dropping key passes.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Chiefs receivers dropped four catchable passes in last Thursday's game, which is the third-most in any single game by an Andy Reid Chiefs-led team.
Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez thinks that the dropped passes were a result of lapses in concentration and confidence. He told Forbes Sports:
“That’s what it was because these guys can catch. That’s why they’re pros, I don’t anticipate that happening again.”
Gonzalez also thinks that the Chiefs' receivers will be much better with star tight end Travis Kelce on the field:
"He’s going to get those guys right. Travis Kelce, he’s the big leader on that team. He’s going to get those guys right when he comes back.”
The Chiefs only lost by one point to the Detroit Lions on opening night. However, they were awarded seven points after Toney dropped a wide-open ball that slipped into Brian Branch's hands for a pick-six.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is confident in his wide receiver despite the bad game that he and the other receivers had. He told reporters:
“That’s just not (Toney’s) thing. He’s not a guy that drops balls. He’s got great hands. We just have to keep working through it.We’re not normally guys that drop the ball, but we did. That’s reality. We’ve got to fix that.”
Kadarius Toney takes the blame for his poor performance in Week 1 vs. the Detroit Lions
Following the loss to the Detroit Lions, and a performance that saw him catch one pass on five targets for 1 yard, Kadarius Toney took full responsibility for the way he played last week.
He spoke to reporters in the build-up to Week 2:
“I look at it how I told the coach, how I told Pat [Mahomes], all the guys, that’s on me. Y’all count on me and rely on me to make certain plays, and I gotta be there to do that. There ain’t really no excuse, nothing [I] can blame it on."
Last year during the Chiefs' Week 10 matchup vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kadarius Toney recorded four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. In the Divisional playoff game vs. the Jags, Toney caught five passes for 36 yards and had one carry for 14 yards.
It was certainly an unexpected blip against the Lions, and Toney will be doing all he can to change the narrative in Week 2.