On Friday, FOX Sports’ Ben Arthur ranked the NFL’s top 10 passing trios. This was obviously done to create a story, cashing in on the buzz about the Dallas Cowboys’ trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for wide receiver George Pickens, whom Arthur now ranks fourth with quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb. While the Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins top his list, there’s a Kansas City Chiefs trio, too.
7. Kansas City Chiefs: QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce and WR Rashee Rice
Yes, an aging Kelce is not what he was just a few years ago. But the connection he shares with Mahomes remains lethal. Rice, meanwhile, is one of the NFL’s top young receivers. The 2023 second-round pick led the league with 24 receptions through three weeks last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Mahomes’ production was down last year, but his track record suggests that was the product of his supporting cast more than him.
My take
The Bengals had better hope their passing trio really is the league’s best. The 2025 salary-cap hits for Burrow, Chase and Higgins add up to just over one-third of the team’s total cap. This compares to less than 18% for Kansas City’s Mahomes, Kelce and Rice.
By going all-in on its three offensive stars, Cincinnati has placed a large bet on its passing game. And why not? In 2021 — with those same three players leading the offense — the Bengals beat the Chiefs on the way to a Super Bowl loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
But the following spring, the Chiefs traded wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, beginning three straight offseasons where the narrative about the Kansas City offense was centered on how it could replace him. Without Hill, however, the Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls in almost two decades — and the only team in history to advance to a third after doing so.
This doesn’t prove that Cincinnati has made a mistake — or that trading Hill was the primary reason for Kansas City’s most recent run. But that trade opened the way to significant additions on defense — and the team’s improved balance has been a big factor in its success since then.
So it’s nice that a national writer has chosen to recognize Kelce in what might easily be his final season — and give props to Rice after he missed most of 2024. But to me, this is a reminder that even with Mahomes under center, the Chiefs have shown that it takes more than an overwhelming offense to maintain a dynasty.
