Getty Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore needs to turn his season around in Week 14.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ struggles at wide receiver this season are no secret. The problem is that it’s been a collective regression — outside of rookie Rashee Rice — and WRs with high expectations like Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore have all flopped.
The latter’s fall has been especially concerning, and Moore was under the microscope once again after Week 13. FanSided writer Joe Summers criticized the former second rounder publicly on December 5, voicing that Moore is “on thin ice” heading into the Buffalo Bills matchup — in his opinion.
“I hate to keep doing this, but perhaps no player outside of Marquez Valdes-Scantling has fallen more short of expectations than the Chiefs’ 2022 second-round pick,” Summers began, focusing on loss in Green Bay.
“Moore finished with one catch for five yards on two targets, but the one he didn’t catch might [have] been the play of the game,” he explained. “It was poetic even, as Patrick Mahomes was charged with an interception due to nonexistent effort from his wide receiver.”
“We can debate whether the interception was Mahomes’ fault for a poor throw or whether Moore stopped running the route, but it’s a bad look either way,” Summers went on, adding that “numerous” Moore targets have resulted in interceptions this year.
“At some point, a guy getting over 60% of the snaps has to make a play for his quarterback,” the KC analyst concluded, noting that the youngster “needs a big game against the Bills in a big way.”
Did Chiefs WR Skyy Moore Run the Wrong Route on Packers Interception?
The NFL’s X account shared the interception Summers is referring to on December 3.
Keisean Nixon gets the INT!
📺: #KCvsGB on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus t.co/CQH1cx3gZS
Mahomes appeared to check to a sort of wheel route that featured Moore, but there was definitely some miscommunication on where the ball — and pass-catcher — should be. Mahomes throws the pass to the outside shoulder, for example, while Moore appears to turn his route inside.
Either way, the end result was horrible as the football sailed aimlessly over Moore’s head and into the hands of Green Bay Packers defensive back Keisean Nixon, who seemed to understand where the throw would be placed better than the young wideout.
Chemistry and communication are crucial between quarterback and wide receiver. The signal-caller has to often trust that his pass-catcher will be in the right place at the right time as he begins to throw the football.
They’re referred to as timing routes, and this play against the Packers was one of them.
If you look at Moore’s targets, compared to the 60% snap count that Summers highlighted, it’s pretty clear that Mahomes is losing faith in him. He has only targeted the 23-year-old three or fewer times in every outing going back to Week 7.
Outside of one four-target performance in Week 6, that streak extends even further to Week 4 — and it’s because of miscues like this one. Mahomes and the Chiefs need to see a bounce back from Moore against the Bills. Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before he starts dropping in the snap count.
Chiefs’ Rashee Rice Led WR Snap Count vs. Packers
Kansas City has sometimes been criticized for easing Rice into the offense this season. That has changed in recent weeks, as the rookie has been featured on more and more plays.
In Week 13, Rice led the WR snap count, taking the field for 47 out of 68 plays according to Pro Football Focus. Moore was right behind him at 45 snaps, with Justin Watson third at 41.
Valdes-Scantling has also seen his usage lessen over the past five outings, with under 40 snaps in each, while Rice and Watson have seen their roles increase.
Two interesting names to watch moving forward are Toney and Richie James. The coaches have supposedly held back the former at times due to previous injuries, according to Andy Reid, while James as failed to find his footing during the regular season.
Could Toney or James eat into Moore’s snaps as the year goes on?