Patrick Mahomes is having a down year by his own exceptionally high standards.
The superstar quarterback’s relative struggles have not stopped the Kansas City Chiefs going 9-0 in their three-peat hunt.
And in an ominous warning to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rivals, Mahomes thinks his shiny new toy could be the secret to unlocking his offense’s true potential.
After losing Rashee Rice to a long-term injury, the Chiefs decided to make a play for veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins before the trade deadline.
The 32-year-old arrived from the Tennessee Titans for a conditional fifth-round pick.
He has continued to excel despite sub-par quarterback play in Tennessee.
And the signs are looking very promising for Hopkins in his new home.
The former Houston Texan has hauled in 14 of 17 targets for 171 yards and two touchdowns in three games.
Numbers aside, Mahomes has seen another crucial area where Hopkins has made an instant impact and plans to keep exploiting it.
“I think just the ability to win one-on-one is special,” he said ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the 8-2 Buffalo Bills.
“I mean, that truly is special and sometimes it gets lost because whenever you’ve got a guy on the boundary that’s one-on-one with – I mean, like this week, he was with [Patrick] Surtain and Surtain’s one of the best corners in the league – and he was winning some of those matchups.
“He’s really kind of showcasing that he can win one-on-one versus anybody.
The Chiefs are getting it done without hitting top form[/caption]
“That’s stuff that puts pressure on the defense when I’m hitting those guys in those one-on-one matchups and making them push guys over which is opening up everybody else.
“So that, as well as being able to make tough and contested catches like the deep cross he had over the middle of the field.
“That’s stuff that just, in my mind, shows me that I need to give him more and more chances in those situations.”
In Week 9, Hopkins rose over multiple defenders to claim a 35-yard grab that set up a crucial touchdown in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Head coach Andy Reid thinks the contested catch ability sets Nuk apart from the men he has worked with in Kansas City down the years.
“He’s great with the contested balls,” he said.
“That’s what he’s great with, so if you get it in – he has long arms and big hands and if you get it in that radius, you’re pretty sure he’s going to get that son of a gun.
“We’ve had good receivers here but that’s his strength right there.”
Hopkins is destined for the Hall of Fame whatever he accomplishes with the Chiefs.
But the five-time Pro Bowler is yet to claim the Vince Lombardi Trophy – he may never have a better chance.
If his career is anything to go by, it is an opportunity he will grasp with both hands.
