Chiefs coach Andy Reid continues to see the upside in mistake-prone Kadarius Toney

Andy Reid’s message regarding error-prone wide receiver Kadarius Toney remained consistent Monday, a day after Toney’s bobble of a Patrick Mahomes pass became an interception against the New England Patriots.

“He’s got to make sure he catches the ball,” Reid said. “He’s got a tremendous amount of talent. He’s a good kid, good attitude. ... You’ve got to make those plays. He knows it as well as anybody.”

The thought was similar to what Reid said after the game: “I’m not down on Toney. He does some good things,” Reid said.

The pick and ensuing New England touchdown in the fourth quarter sliced a 17-point Chiefs lead to 10, which stood as the final margin in a 27-17 victory. But Mahomes was agitated as he took a seat on the bench after the play.

The bobble-turned-interception was the second for Toney this season. In the opening-game loss to the Detroit Lions, the mistake was returned for a touchdown.

Last week, a rare offensive offside penalty on Toney cost him and the Chiefs a touchdown on a play that involved a Travis Kelce lateral.

Reid rarely, if ever, speaks publicly about a player’s shortcomings, but coaches can make a statement through playing time. Among the wide receivers, the number of snaps for Rashee Rice has grown. He played a season-high 92% of the snaps against the Patriots and caught his seventh touchdown pass this season, setting a team rookie record.

Playing time for others has decreased over the past few games. Skyy Moore went from a season-best 66% of snaps against Green Bay in Week 12 to a season-low 25% on Sunday.

In his first 11 games, Marquez Valdes-Scantling had one game with fewer than 50% of the snaps, but that’s been the case in the past three.

Two of Toney’s top three snap-count games have occurred in the past two weeks. Will that trend continue in the Chiefs’ next game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday?

Reid said Richie James, who missed eight games earlier this season with an injury, will get more playing time. James got two snaps at a wide receiver against the Patriots and turned a short reception into a 17-yard gain.

“Richie is going to play more than two snaps,” Reid said. “I didn’t have him in on enough stuff.”