The Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 11 highlights one of their most glaring issues on their team, and that’s a lack of star power. Patrick Mahomes headlines their offense, but outside of that, which players are truly striking fear into the hearts of defenses?

The trifecta of Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Rashee Rice has worked out at times, but against the Broncos’ defense, their leading receiver was Travis Kelce. Kelce is not the star he once was, and can hardly be considered a legitimate threat week in and week out.

How Can They Improve?

Their lack of star power on the offensive side of the ball reared its ugly head against the Broncos. None of their top three receivers had more than 50 yards, and the longest reception for any of them was 18 yards.

The only receiver that showed up for them, outside of Kelce, was Tyquan Thornton. However, the Chiefs didn’t use him at all, and it resulted in what could’ve been a breakout performance, snuffed by coaching malpractice.

Thornton had one catch for the game’s biggest individual play, a 61-yard play spurred on by Mahomes’ playmaking outside of structure. Thornton only had two targets and wasn’t a part of the Chiefs’ offensive game plan at all.

For the second half of the season, they should incorporate him more into their offense, as he gives them another field stretcher. Their lack of star power similarly showed itself on the ground, as their rushing attack couldn’t give their offense a break.

Though Kareem Hunt is excellent as a goal-line back, it’s clear that he can’t sustain their run game by himself. The injury to Isiah Pacheco was detrimental, and the Chiefs’ decision not to trade for Breece Hall or another running back continues to blow up in their face.

It forces the Chiefs’ offense to live and die by Mahomes’ arm, which usually would be fine for them, but they’re 0 – 5 in one-game scores this season. This way of winning isn’t sustainable for their future, and this season may be a lost cause due to their reliance on him.

If this season has shown Chiefs Kingdom anything, it’s that Mahomes is human. The Chiefs have tried to see how far they can go with surrounding him with mediocre weapons long enough, and it’s time for them to be more aggressive if they want to extend their championship window.