The Kansas City Chiefs added a big weapon for Patrick Mahomes by trading for DeAndre Hopkins last week, and it didn’t take long for Andy Reid to send the wide receiver to the field. On Sunday, the 32-year-old made his first appearance on a Chiefs uniform during the 27-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season.
D-Hop was targeted three times by Mahomes, making two catches for 29 yards. Those numbers may not be so impressive, but the Chiefs quarterback made it clear that he loved Hopkins’ performance.
“I thought he did a great job,” Mahomes said of Hopkins’ debut, via Sports Illustrated. “Obviously [on] third down, he had the big catch early in the game and then he had a couple of other big plays. I missed him on the one corner route early, but [he] still got open. And then as I looked back at the tablet, there were a couple of times where in man coverage, he was just really working and winning. Even the touchdown to Trav (Travis Kelce) I threw, if you look back on his side, he’s open too for a touchdown there.”
Not only did Mahomes like what he saw from Hopkins at the Allegiant Stadium, but the Chiefs star also vowed to create more opportunities for his new teammate as the 2024 NFL season advances.
“Now that you see that – obviously, I know the type of player he is – but you see that on the field, it shows that if they’re going to play man coverage against him, he’s going to get open. I have to give him chances to go out there and make plays,” Mahomes said.
Mahomes compares Hopkins with Travis Kelce, JuJu Smith-Schuster
Hopkins’ first catch on a Chiefs uniform came in the team’s opening drive, and it allowed Mahomes to keep possession to eventually find the end zone. On third-and-seven, Hopkins made a 13-yard catch to keep things going in offense.
“Honestly, it’s high-level stuff,” Mahomes said. “Just because it was zone coverage, they kind of were in the right spot, he pulled up in the right window, stuff you see Trav (Travis Kelce) do a lot [and] you see JuJu (Smith-Schuster) do a lot. I was able to throw the ball and I’ve kind of talked about it a little bit, he has good body language when he runs routes so you can kind of tell what he’s going to do before he does it.
“We had only practiced that play I think once, maybe twice. For third down in that situation, for him to run it and be in the right position, it shows that he’s going to fit in perfectly in this offense.”
Reid expects Mahomes to find Hopkins more often
Hopkins’ debut has also drawn praise from the head coach, with Andy Reid promising D-Hop he’ll be even more involved next time: “Yeah, listen, I thought it was good. He wanted to be in there, which is a positive and I understand. He’ll get more chances the next game.“
The Chiefs have added another wide receiver apart from Hopkins by promoting Montrell Washington from the practice squad, but the former Tennessee Titans creates more expectations than any other player on the WR room.
Mahomes and the Chiefs are looking forward to seeing more of Hopkins when they welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Arrowhead on ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season.