Kansas City Chiefs: Jeremy Maclin means everything
When the Kansas City Chiefs signed star wide receiver Jeremy Maclin to a five-year deal worth a whopping $55 million with $22.5 million in guaranteed money, it was obvious that the princely sum was money well-spent for an organization that had to suffer through a season of Dwayne Bowe masquerading as Alex Smith‘s top option. The mere fact that Bowe, who somehow got the Cleveland Browns to pay him $9 million in guarantees, is no higher than No. 5 on the depth chart of a team whose top receivers are Travis Benjamin and Andrew Hawkins is extremely telling.
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Whereas Bowe has been an utter flop for the Browns, Maclin has been everything the Chiefs expected him to be. He’s clearly leading the team with 56 targets, and his 69.6% catch rate and 13.6 yards per reception are quite impressive. Maclin is approaching- and perhaps surpassing- the monstrous numbers he put up last season as the Philadelphia Eagles “X” receiver, and he’s been just as vital to what the Chiefs do on offense as he was for the Eagles last season (only Fletcher Cox could even be in the discussion for being a more valuable part of that team last season).
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In fact, just five receivers have had more yards than J-Mac so far, and he’s also eighth in the NFL in receptions with even more catches than Emmanuel Sanders, Odell Beckham Jr., and Calvin Johnson. Pretty sweet, huh?
Maclin’s status for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is in some doubt, because the star wideout suffered a concussion in the team’s Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings after turning three receptions into 48 yards. The 27-year-old Mizzou product missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be out this week.
Although his status for this week’s game look pretty bleak after he missed yesterday’s practice, Maclin could be on track to suit up. Per ESPN’s Ed Werder, the Chiefs are expecting their most important skill position player (apologies to Travis Kelce) to pass his concussion test, meaning that he will be able to practice today and play against Pittsburgh.
The Steelers secondary is no longer a laughingstock, especially since veteran safety Mike Mitchell has bounced back after a rough first season in the ‘Burgh. Although their pass defense is below the league average in net yards per pass attempt allowed and other meaningful pass defense stats, the Steelers have allowed the fifth-lowest points per game.
Meanwhile, the efficacy of the Chiefs running game is completely unknown after neither Charcandrick West nor Knile Davis were able to get anything going against the Vikings in the team’s first game without Jamaal Charles. That puts further pressure on Maclin to be healthy and his usual self against the Steelers, who will have plenty of opportunities to key in closely on both him and Kelce on Sunday.
Without Maclin, it’s hard to see how the Chiefs have a shot at beating the Steelers, even if Landry Jones starts ahead of Ben Roethlisberger. This Chiefs team hasn’t won a game since defeating the Houston Texans in Week 1, and any game against Ryan Mallett is hardly much of a game at all.
In all honesty, Maclin is one of the few players on the Chiefs worth writing home about, and his ability to play on Sunday could give this team a shot at winning. It isn’t a huge chance, but it’s a chance nonetheless, and this opportunity to win won’t feasibly exist if he can’t play. An offense consisting of Smith, West/Davis, Kelce, and a hodgepodge of wide receivers isn’t exactly an arsenal that would convince observers that this team is equipped to win against a team that is quietly 4-2.
Sep 13, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) attempts to make a catch during the third quarter as Houston Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph (24) defends at NRG Stadium. The Chiefs defeated the Texans 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
It’s great to hear from one of the best reporters around that the Chiefs expect Maclin to suit up this week, but the fact of the matter is that they absolutely need him to be out there. Just about everyone has already stuck a fork in this team, and a short-term fork for Week 7 would be in order if their best receiver isn’t able to play.
Just how important is Maclin? The man is averaging 88.5 receiving yards per game, and that is actually higher than his average of 82.4 last season. His QB is better than the tag team of Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez, but Smith hasn’t exactly been a star on the Chiefs offense this season either. Maclin’s brilliance is apparent every time he sees the field, and we can only hope that we’ll be able to see him out there this week; the Chiefs have dealt with enough bad luck on the injury front over the past two seasons.
I’m sure Chip Kelly and the Eagles desperately miss this guy, and he’s making every penny of his $11-million-per-year deal worth it so far. Honestly, if he doesn’t play, how else will they move the ball without force-feeding Kelce? I still have hopes for West and Davis, but we have no reason to trust them yet.
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