Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce espoused his faith in his teammates and the coaching staff to put them in a position to succeed. He also identified a key area where they need to improve if they want to reach their goals.
“The biggest thing for us is being able to control those turnovers, being able to control the dropped passes,” Kelce said per Adam Teicher of ESPN on November 3. “There’s a few missed assignments and I take accountability in all this, and I think everybody in that locker room on the offensive side has taken that same approach this week.”
Drops, Turnovers ‘Biggest’ Issues for Chiefs, Travis Kelce Says
Chiefs Have Room to Improve
At 6-2, the Kansas City Chiefs have the best record in the AFC West. But their record is tied with every other division leader in the conference and one other team – the Detroit Lions – while the Philadelphia Eagles sit atop the NFL at 7-1 heading into Week 9.
Shaping up the Race: NFL Standings Through Week 8 Showcase the Top 7 Teams in the Hunt for Glory! 🏈💥#NFL #eagles #ravens #lions #jaguars #chiefs #dolphins #cowboys pic.twitter.com/yVIFf2LOyM
— EssentiallySports (@es_sportsnews) October 31, 2023
The Chiefs lead the NFL with 24 drops and have committed the second-most turnovers.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ interception rate is the second-highest it’s been since he entered the league and the highest since he became the starter in 2018.
He threw two interceptions in the Chiefs’ 24-9 loss to the floundering Denver Broncos in Week 8. But the most concerning stat may be that, with 10 sacks taken through eight weeks of the season, Mahomes’ 3.2% sack rate leads the league. But it is also the lowest rate of his decorated career.
Patrick Mahomes ‘Feeling Perfectly Fine’
Photos emerged this week of Mahomes, who was dealing with an illness in Week 8, practicing with his left hand bandaged up. But the two-time MVP and Super Champion assured the media that he would be good to go for the Chiefs tilt against the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany.
“I’m feeling perfectly fine,” Mahomes said via KMBC 9 on November 3.
“[The illness] was kind of just that night and a little bit the next day. But I kind of got back pretty quickly. And the hand’s fine. Just have to cover it up for some practices. But I don’t think I’ll have much if anything on it for the game.”
First practice in Deutschland ⏰ pic.twitter.com/HpIzy72PfB
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 3, 2023
Miami boasts the seventh-best pressure rate in the league. That is three spots below where the Chiefs rank. But it is also the second-best mark of any opponent they have faced this season, with the New York Jets – who lead the NFL in pressure rate – still No. 1. Of course, the Chiefs won their matchup with the Jets.
However, Mahomes threw one touchdown to two interceptions in that contest and could have had more.
He has just two games without an interception this season after eight such games in 2022.
Dolphins Not Takeaway Specialists
The good news for Mahomes and the Chiefs is that the Dolphins have proven rather inadequate at creating turnovers under head coach Mike McDaniel. They tied for the third-fewest this season with eight, ranking 26th on the season. And they ranked 31st last season, tying for the second-fewest in the league with just 14.
Miami is one of those other 6-2 teams, though, and cannot be taken lightly.
Chiefs vs Dolphins fun facts:
KC has won three straight over Miami in head-to-head series. Last Dolphin win in series was 2011.
Dolphins are #1 in scoring offense, Chiefs are #2 in scoring defense.
Both teams are top 4 in sacks (KC T-2nd w/ 28, MIA 4th w/ 27).#ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/m5dp5GXLq3
— Braden Holecek (@BradenHolecek9) November 4, 2023
Especially with former Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill long making it known he is looking to put up some crooked numbers on his old squad.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
