Chiefs vs. Lions: By the Numbers

KCSN's Craig Stout takes a closer look at some of the numbers from the Chiefs' performance Thursday night against the Lions

-3.23 - EPA  per target for Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore combined

It might be an understatement to say that the Chiefs wide receiver play was rough on Thursday night against the Lions. Sure, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Justin Watson were positives, and Rashee Rice showed glimpses (and drops), but by and large a lot of the Chiefs offensive woes can be laid at the feet of poor wide receiver play in Week 1. That especially goes for two of the receivers with the highest expectations in 2023: Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore.

Moore had some crucial drops on difficult passes. One was well behind him and another – on a 4th and 25 play – was tipped in front of him. Those are difficult passes to haul in, but ones that would be expected of starting-level wide receivers in a high-octane offense. Furthermore, he struggled to create consistent separation and didn’t earn the trust of his quarterback on money downs, something this team desperately needed without Travis Kelce active on gameday. Moore finished the night with 3 targets and zero receptions (one called back for a holding penalty). He’ll want to rebound from that performance in a big way if he’s going to contribute how the Chiefs have planned for him in 2023.

While Moore was not great (-1.04 Expected Points Added per target, per Ben Solak), Toney was worse. He posted a -2.19 EPA per target against the Lions, meaning that by simply throwing the ball his way 3 times, he would give up the equivalent of a touchdown to the opposition - which is precisely what happened.