An offense that ranks 29th in explosive play rate and 10th-worst in turnovers with a quarterback who ranks last in air yards per target with an 11:9 touchdown to interception ratio should be bad, right? Yet somehow, the Chiefs are making it work.
Despite those metrics, the Chiefs offense is an efficient machine — they’re first in offensive success rate (53.5 percent) and seventh in points per drive (2.43). Lacking top-tier receiving talent and consistent tackle play, they’ve leaned into a power run game and gone back to Andy Reid’s West Coast roots with a passing game built around short timing passes.
It was clear the Chiefs were going to trade for a wide receiver after losing Rashee Rice to a major knee injury in Week 4. Rice was a YAC (yards after catch) monster and was starting to expand his impact in the quick and intermediate game. Rice accounted for 30 percent of the Chiefs’ explosive plays in the games he played.
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Free agent acquisition Marquise Brown and first-round pick Xavier Worthy were also supposed to make the Chiefs offense explosive again. However, Brown suffered a season-ending injury before the season and Worthy has had struggles adjusting to the NFL. For example, he should have had a deep touchdown reception against the Buccaneers Monday night but failed to get his feet in bounds even though he had plenty of time and room to do so.
I thought the Chiefs would go after an explosive receiver like Diontae Johnson or Amari Cooper but instead, they doubled down on their new identity and traded with the Titans for DeAndre Hopkins. Acquiring Hopkins is a much-needed move but at first glance, it seemed like overkill because the offense already has so many elements working near the line of scrimmage with the running game and tight end Travis Kelce. I thought they needed someone to lift the lid off the offense and create space, but as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, defenses will play deep coverage. Hopkins will catch the occasional deep, contested ball but he’ll help this offense most with his ability to create separation against one-on-one coverage short to intermediate. With how quickly he and Mahomes have built chemistry, he almost gives them another Kelce with his ability to find holes in the defense.
“He’s so good at winning one-on-one and so to be able to have him down in the red zone, third-down situations, he does a good job of filling out and finding those windows,” Mahomes said after the Chiefs’ win against the Buccaneers. “He’s kind of like Travis.”
Week 8, 14:03 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-7
On this play against the Raiders, Hopkins would “cheat” motion outside to run a sail route.
The Raiders were playing a cover 4 zone to Hopkins’ side, so there was an underneath defender inside of him and outside of him in the flats. Mahomes and Kelce have made a living on back-shoulder passes against this coverage. This is a very difficult pass to complete but Mahomes and Kelce make it look routine.
Mahomes and Hopkins perfectly executed a back-shoulder sail pass on the quarterback’s first-ever throw to his new weapon. Again, this is a difficult pass even for a quarterback and receiver who have played together for a long time. For them to be able to make these types of plays already bodes well for their partnership.
Mahomes to Hopkins magic 🪄
📺: #TBvsKC on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/nMTLwTSkMr— NFL (@NFL) November 5, 2024
On Hopkins’ 32-yard catch against the Buccaneers, he ran the wrong route but made up for it by running into space and doing what he does best: making a contested catch.
Week 9, 6:45 remaining in the second quarter, third-and-8
Hopkins ran a crossing route and sat in the empty zone, in the same area where Noah Gray ran his route. Mahomes probably could have still gotten the ball to him but had to navigate through pressure.
Hopkins sensed the deep part of the field was open so he broke off his route and ran there. Mahomes was on the same page and threw Hopkins the ball as soon as turned upfield.
“I probably could have gave him (more) chances but you have to know the time and the place to give him those chances and I felt like there we were kind of at the edge of field goal range, give him a chance down the field, let him make a play, and he did,” Mahomes explained.
Mahomes hasn’t taken these chances deep downfield as much in the last couple of seasons. Of course, he’ll trust Kelce with contested catches but Klece doesn’t have the speed to get downfield like Hopkins does. Hopkins was never a burner but he still has the ability to open up the field for the Chiefs in his own way. Defenses will have another element to account for when playing man coverage on third-and-short to medium situations.
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“There’s been an instant synergy with Pat and DeAndre. Sometimes those take a lot more for some guys than others, but he’s come in here and just picked up (the playbook),” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. “Pat and DeAndre are really thinking the same way on certain routes, especially in zone (coverage), which is crazy because it doesn’t normally always happen like that. It normally takes time.
“From the second practice to our last game, there’s some stuff in there that they’re putting on tape that makes it tough, especially when you put Kelce on the same side or (the opposite) side and he thinks the same way, how long he and Pat have been doing it. That’s tough (for the defense).”
Week 9, 4:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, third-and-5
On Hopkins’ second touchdown on Monday Night, he and Kelce were aligned opposite each other. Kelce was lined up as the point in a bunch and Hopkins was isolated to the offensive left. Mahomes and Reid said after the game that Hopkins had some freedom on the route. My guess is he could either run a fade, slant or hitch depending on the coverage. Hopkins likely saw corner Josh Hayes lined up head up on him, which left him susceptible to an in-breaking route, so he ran a slant.
“With the defense pushed over to kind of really to kind of take (Travis) away for the most part,” Mahomes explained. “It’s one-on-one on the backside. Then you look at the leverage of the guy and you get to the right check and you let a guy win one-on-one.”
Hopkins again 🔥
📺: #TBvsKC on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/KWQ2pYZpm8— NFL (@NFL) November 5, 2024
Hopkins has already converted four third downs on just 48 routes in two games for the Chiefs. But it isn’t just about the spectacular catches and third-down conversions, it’s about maximizing every play and doing it in clutch situations.
Week 9, 7:53 remaining in overtime, second-and-6
In overtime, with the ball in Buccaneers’ territory, the Chiefs had a run/pass option called. Hopkins was the main target on many of these plays for the Chiefs throughout the games on “glance” routes. This time, he had a speed out.
Mahomes saw he had access to the outside and threw to Hopkins. As Hopkins caught the ball, he sensed Hayes breaking outside, so he gave him a head fake outside.
Hayes dove outside and Hopkins spun inside and picked up another 11-12 yards after the catch. The Chiefs scored five plays later on the first drive of overtime and won the game.
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At the age of 32, Hopkins has lost a step but his awareness and football IQ fit right in with the Chiefs’ culture. They’re no longer the explosive, big-play offense they were in 2018. They tried to recreate that offense in the offseason but because of injuries, they had to pivot. Their style of play doesn’t give them a lot of margin for error but when you have a quarterback like Mahomes, a tight end like Kelce, and now, Hopkins, you can play and win with offense. It won’t always be pretty but they’ll find a way.
Reporter Nate Taylor contributed.
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(Top photo: Michael Owens / Getty Images)
