The Kansas City Chiefs took a brutal loss in Week 1 at the hands of the Detroit Lions.
Patrick Mahomes struggled to get in sync with any of his receivers in tight end Travis Kelce’s absence. Drops and a lack of execution on offense were an odd sight for Chiefs fans as the team starts 2023 with a loss.
Buy Chiefs TicketsThough the outcome of this game certainly wasn’t ideal, not all was lost. Some members of Kansas City’s roster fared better than others, and while the end result was still a loss, there were still risers in the game, despite the fact that it felt like the sky was falling in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs are a resilient team and, luckily, there are 16 games remaining on Kansas City’s schedule for the team to get back on track.
Here’s a look at how the stock is trending for some players after the Week 1 loss at Arrowhead Stadium:
Stock Up: Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes did all he could to keep his Week 1 undefeated streak alive, but it wasn’t enough. The reigning league MVP finished with 226 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception deflected from Kadarius Toney’s hands for a pick-six.
Stock Down: Kadarius Toney
Toney had a remarkably bad performance in Thursday’s loss, accidentally causing a turnover and multiple dropped passes in crucial moments. Toney seemed rusty since returning from a knee procedure that cost him all of training camp and the preseason.
Stock Down: Donovan Smith
The signing of veteran Donovan Smith was to fill a need in the starting lineup and bring experience to protect Mahomes’ blind side. The many games he protected Tom Brady last season in Tampa Bay also yielded plenty of holding penalties that reared its head again on Thursday night. A late penalty in the fourth quarter helped kill a potential game-winning drive for the Chiefs, forcing an impossible fourth down attempt.
Stock Down: Richie James
James played hard on Thursday night but didn’t produce much positive yardage when he was on the field. His single catch was good for just six yards, he dropped passes, and miscommunication with Kadarius Toney on one of his routes didn’t help his efforts. The veteran receiver also didn’t get much traction on special teams, either. He returned three punts for a meager 16 yards gained.
