Chiefs can still win Super Bowl despite team dealing with 'soft football players,' ex-NFL wide receiver says
Jason Avant says Patrick Mahomes gives them a shot in any game, but this year's team is different
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Kansas City Chiefs needed to grind out victories this season because their offense isn't as prolific as it has been in years past.
But the team still won 11 games, a division championship and a playoff game Saturday night against the Miami Dolphins.
Jason Avant, who played for the Chiefs during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, noted that Kansas City is still built to win those gritty games, thanks to quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Avant mentioned that Mahomes is lacking the same firepower he’s had in recent years, forcing the team to be reliant on the defense.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes high-fives fans after an AFC wild-card playoff game against the Miami Dolphins Jan 13, 2024, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"I think the quarterback gives them a shot, and it’s different from most of the Chiefs teams we’ve had," Avant told Fox News Digital. "The Chiefs teams are usually loaded with weapons here and there. This Chiefs team has limitations.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"But the thing this Chiefs team has that they normally don’t have is a consistent defense that gets timely pressure, that can play man-to-man, that have two Pro Bowl-caliber corners in McDuffie and Sneed and has solid safety and linebacker play. They have a legit shot of winning the Super Bowl because of their defense."
Avant, who has recently partnered with Action Network, said he didn’t like the makeup of the offense outside of four players.
EX-NFL WIDE RECEIVER BAFFLED OVER COWBOYS' DEMISE; MAKES SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TEAM CAN IMPROVE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Travis Kelce, left, of the Kansas City Chiefs congratulates Isiah Pacheco after a fourth-quarter touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in an AFC wild-card playoff game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Jan. 13, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
"Now, I love what coach Reid did. He limited the targets," he said. "And I think that’s what you have to do with the Chiefs because I think he has soft football players, and it’s not like coach Reid to have soft football players. Rashee Rice is a player. Travis Kelce is a player. (Isiah) Pacheco is a player. Mahomes is a player.
"When it comes to (Marquez) Valdes-Scantling, when it comes or Mecole Hardman, they are just not mentally tough football players. And you can tell that by the way they approach the game and how they go after balls. It’s a hesitancy there."
Avant pointed to drops from Valdes-Scantling earlier this season and some head-scratching plays from Hardman during the win over the Dolphins.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs during an AFC wild-card game against the Miami Dolphins at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Jan. 13, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
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Kansas City has a shot at playing in its sixth consecutive AFC championship game. The team heads next to Buffalo to play the Bills.
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