Patrick Mahomes was full of praise for new addition DeAndre Hopkins in the Chiefs’ hard-fought 30-24 win over the Bucs. The Chiefs opted for a mid-season trade for the wide receiver from the Tennessee Titans, to provide cover at the WR position having already lost Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice to injuries and Xavier Worthy who failed to impress. In his two games so far, the three-time All-Pro wide receiver hasn’t disappointed.

The Chiefs are 8-0 without being at their very best this season. This was seen once again in their outing against the Bucs when they came out victorious 30-24 in OT. One reason for their indifferent form has been the mixed bag that Travis Kelce has had so far and their shortcomings at the WR. But against the Bucs, both Kelce and Hopkins sent a timely reminder to the league about the strength the Chiefs possess and this got former NFL safety Ryan Clark making a desperate plea.

Adding D Hop to their offense with Patrick Mahomes at center is proving to be a cheat code, as he ran riot on Monday night. Against the Bucs, in just his second start for his new team, Hopkins caught eight of his nine targets for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Debuting with 23 offensive snaps (32%) against the Las Vegas Raiders, Hopkins took 51 of 85 offensive snaps (60%), meaning he had more than doubled that effort in his second game as a Chief.

In the first half, Hopkins had already caught four catches alongside a 35-yard bomb from Mahomes and walked in for a one-yard TD in the second quarter. But the biggest highlight, however, would be the 5-yard TD in the second half. With the game tied 17-17 with just four minutes left to play, Mahomes passed a short left slant to Hopkins. The result? Not just a touchdown but the ankle-injured QB hopped and skipped to reach the end zone celebration just in time to deliver a special message to the 75,000 fans in attendance.

“Eat, dawg! Eat, dawg! Eat, dawg!”

But before we lose sight of why this was significant, something even Mahomes couldn’t have known, the Bucs have allotted special attention to the other end of the field wherein the Chiefs had executed a bunch formation with their two WRs and TE Travis Kelce. Bucs RB Josh Hayes tried to use his hips to throw D Hop to the outside, only Hopkins wasn’t moving. Seeing his impact this early for the Chiefs, former NFL safety Ryan Clark has called for an urgent plea.

“GMs should get together and ban other teams from trading players to the Chiefs. Y’all tripping letting them get D Hop… Kelce is cooking now too? Wait until angry running azz Pacheco gets back! Lord!”

The Chiefs’ strong start to the season has been built largely on their defense, but it looks like their offense is now finding its feet with Hopkins starting brightly and Kelce starting to change gears. On Monday, Kelce played 71 of 85 offensive snaps and tied a career-high in receptions with 14 catches on 16 targets for 100 yards. This should be a cause for concern for the rest of the league.

Having signed with the Titans in July 2023 on a two-year contract he was traded to the Chiefs on October 24 for a conditional fourth-round pick. After catching for over 1,000 yards with Tennessee in 2023, Hopkins had just 15 catches for 173 yards and one touchdown over six games this season, in what has been a disappointing start for the Titans.

As Clark might have referred to, Hopkins’ addition to the Chiefs’ offense has helped Travis Kelce come back to his usual form. Over the past weeks, the Chiefs TE has caught 24 catches for 190 yards.

But Clark isn’t the only one who is seemingly worried about the Chiefs’ dominance with D Hop in their offense. Fans of the other NFL franchises are equally concerned about the Chiefs kicking into the next gear with DeAndre Hopkins in their ranks.

Patrick Mahomes and DeAndre Hopkins sends notice to other teams after MNF victory

Although the Chiefs had to grind their win against Baker Mayfield’s Bucs on Monday, it wouldn’t have been possible without Mahomes and Hopkins’ connection on their offense. After the game, Mahomes hailed the receiver’s performance saying, “I think as he figures out the whole entire offense, he’ll get even better because there’s some times he’s going places, and I’m like, man, there’s a time and a place for that, but that’s what makes him great.”

“You give him a chance down the field, he makes a play. To have a guy like that that can go up and make that catch in a crowd of defenders is a special type of player,” he added. Seeing them connect so well on their second outing together, the fans are in awe of what’s in store in the future, “Hahahaha, the league let Mahomes get DeAndre Hopkins hahahaha,” a fan wrote on X.

Well, those reactions didn’t stop there as another referred to D Hop finding football heaven with Mahomes, “Deandre Hopkins remembers what it was like with the Titans. He is in football heaven with Patrick Mahomes.” Hopkins did a great job of finding spaces underneath zones and making contested catches. This sets him apart from other Chiefs receivers, with perhaps only Rice capable of doing this on a consistent basis.

Another fan also sounded unhappy over the Titans letting the Chiefs get Hopkins, “The league really let Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs get DeAndre Hopkins,” they wrote. Another fan gave a cheeky reference to Titans QB Will Levis, “De Andre Hopkins going from Will Levis and the Titans to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.” Hopkins had only 173 receiving yards with a single TD for his first six games. But after joining the Chiefs, the 12-year veteran found his mojo back. Looking at their connection after just two games together, the Chiefs may have struck gold with Hopkins.

The Titans are 2-6 so far this season and for Hopkins, the change in fortunes cannot be more contrasting. He has gone from a struggling side to a team eyeing a 3-peat. Sharing his hunger for the Super Bowl after the game, Hopkins said, “Go time. We ain’t done yet,” in the post game presser.

Well, the NFL cannot stop the Chiefs from making such trades, but will any team be able to halt their juggernaut on the gridiron? With Mahomes, Kelce and now Hopkins leading the charge it will be a hard task.

While we wait for more NFL action next week. Do check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Emily and Erin Griffin as they continue to shape the NFL globally.