The Kansas City Chiefs‘ perfect record after five weeks is impressive, but their unbeaten start to the 2024 NFL season becomes even more remarkable when considering the key injuries Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have had to manage.
Before the season opener, the Chiefs lost Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to a sternoclavicular joint dislocation sustained in preseason. The veteran wideout was eventually followed on Injured Reserve by starting running back Isiah Pacheco, who picked up a fractured fibula in Week 2. To make matters worse, Reid saw Kansas City’s primary wide receiver go down when Mahomes accidentally injured Rashee Rice in Week 4.
But before looking for outside options in the market, the Chiefs decided to give a chance to the other WRs on the roster in Week 5. Juju Smith-Schuster made the most of that opportunity, making an impression on both the head coach and quarterback in the Monday night win over the Saints.
“JuJu’s a good football player,” Reid said of the veteran pass catcher. “He’s been a good football player for a long time. He had the one down in the end zone that got tipped, and he felt terrible about that. Then he comes back with two huge ones. He’s a pro and does a great job with that.”
Mahomes also made sure to heap praise on Smith-Schuster, who only trailed Travis Kelce in targets last time out: “He has a good feel for the entire concept of the play. So he knows how to get into the open spots, he has a good understanding of my timing, so some of those things, I can hit him early in some windows maybe that aren’t necessarily taught, it’s just learned over reps.”
Smith-Schuster stepping up for the Chiefs a great sign for Reid, Mahomes
Smith-Schuster returned to Kansas City as a free agent this offseason after leaving for the New England Patriots last year. After going practically unnoticed in the first four weeks of the 2024 NFL season, he finally had a breakout game in Week 5.
On Monday night, the 27-year-old made seven catches for 130 yards. His only drop came in the red zone and ended in a turnover, but it wasn’t enough to overshadow his great performance.
Since Reid made it clear to Mahomes after Rice’s injury that he didn’t want the Chiefs to rely solely on rookie Xavier Worthy, Smith-Schuster’s latest appearance could offer some relief.
Smith-Schuster happy to be back with Mahomes, Reid at Chiefs
As Reid sent the Chiefs a special message after the win, Smith-Schuster made sure to credit the coach for his recent performance. Besides, he let everyone know how happy he feels about being back in Kansas City.
“After I got released, I kind of just waited patiently,” Smith-Schuster said. “When Andy Reid called, he told me, ‘We can put you [in] a little package deal.’ Even just that, coming back to a place like here, I was OK with that. I was OK being the leader in the room, I was OK with just being the guy to try to help our young guys to get right. I think when the opportunity presents itself, I want to step up. I love the adversity. I love being down. I love the doubts. I’ve always bet on myself. I came here on a one-year deal, bet on myself and it worked out for me. Coming back here was kind of like a no-brainer. I love the pressure my teammates put on me, [it] helps make me a better person.”