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        FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

        Chiefs Focused On Improving Downfield Passing

        By Jared Smola | Updated on Thu, Jun 5 2025 5:42 PM UTC
        Patrick Mahomes Headshot

        Chiefs OC Matt Nagy said a big offseason focus for the team has been improving the downfield passing game. The Chiefs ranked 27th in pass plays of 20+ yards last year and tied for 24th in pass plays of 40+ yards.

        What They're Saying

        Nagy: "For Pat [Mahomes], we always wanna try to pick something that we can get better at, and let him really lock in on. ... We spent an inordinate amount of time breaking down [our downfield throws] this offseason, and watching it together. For what it’s worth, at the end of the Eagles game, I know the score wasn’t what we wanted, but there was a pretty good throw at the end of the year there to Xavier [Worthy], and I think that we’re excited to get back to some of that.”

        2025 Fantasy Football Impact

        A lack of deep completions has been a big reason for Mahomes' relatively disappointing fantasy production the past couple of seasons. He ranks dead last among 44 qualifying QBs in both average target depth (6.3 yards) and air yards per completion (2.8 yards) over the last two years. Mahomes has also registered his two lowest yards per attempt averages (7.0 and 6.8) the last two seasons.

        Part of that is due to defenses playing more two-high shells against Kansas City to take away those deep shots. But personnel has been an issue, too. The Chiefs haven't had a bonafide deep threat since WR Tyreek Hill left after the 2021 season.

        They added WRs Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown last offseason to address that problem. But Worthy struggled downfield, catching just three of 17 targets 20+ yards downfield. And Brown missed all but two regular-season games with a shoulder injury.

        With offseason focus on the downfield passing game, a more experienced Worthy, and a healthier Brown, we could certainly see Mahomes rediscover his deep-ball magic in 2025.

        Jared Smola Author Image
        Jared Smola, Lead Analyst
        Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.
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