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While that’s a mind-boggling statistic, Teicher pointed out it hasn’t really hurt the Chiefs, at least while they’re in the red zone.
They get a touchdown on two-thirds of their trips inside the 20-yard line, which is second best in the NFL.
The overall passing game has worked in the red zone as well. Alex Smith has a 67.4 completion percentage in the red zone, seventh in the league. The Chiefs are 11th in red-zone receptions (29) and tied for 14th in red-zone passing touchdowns (12).
The ability of Jamaal Charles both as a runner and receiver is a huge advantage to the Chiefs inside the 20.
“We’re not worried about who scores, just that we do score," Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of different guys that can do it a lot of different ways. You see Jamaal line up as a receiver catching the ball. There (aren’t) many backs making that kind of play in the NFL against a starting corner."
As a result, the Chiefs don’t really try to get the ball to a wide receiver in the red zone. Smith is 6-of-12 in the red zone when a wide receiver is the intended target. No NFL team has fewer attempts or completions to a wide receiver.
A wide receiver can, of course, score a touchdown from outside the 20. The Chiefs’ inability to get a few of those plays from a wideout is a much bigger problem.
Worth noting, the Chiefs have discounted the lack of point production from their wide receivers as just a fluke.
"I don't worry about who gets them, I'm concerned that you score them, whatever position it is," said head coach Andy Reid. "We've needed more than what we've done the past couple of weeks so we've got to do better there."
But after 12 games of being shut out, the lack of points from the receivers puts more pressure on the run game and the tight ends and backs to be the touchdown makers, and that narrows the Chiefs' margin of winning at a time they should be expanding their weapons to produce winning efforts in the run to the playoffs.
Plus is sucks for fantasy owners who'd like just a little more out of guys like Dwayne Bowe. ...
Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus' Mike Clay pointed out this week that after playing no more than two-thirds of Kansas City's offensive snaps during the team's first nine games, Travis Kelce has been on the field for 91 percent in the past three. Anthony Fasano missed one of those games, but he played only 16 of a possible 44 snaps Sunday.
Unfortunately for Kelce owners, the boost in playing time hasn't helped his fantasy value. Since scoring in three consecutive games during Weeks 3-5, Kelce has found the end zone once in seven games.