The Kansas State Chiefs are 8-0. But that hasn’t come about easy. Like every other team in the NFL, Andy Reid’s men have been hit with injuries since the start of the season. Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice, Isaiah Pacheco, JuJu Smith-Schuster- Patrick Mahomes has lost multiple weapons in the nine weeks of football so far. Naturally, GM Brett Veach realized that the offense needed help and in comes DeAndre Hopkins from Tennessee Titans- an NFL veteran drafted the same year as Travis Kelce (2013) looking for a home to win the ultimate prize at the fag end of his career. How has he fared? Well, in the second game with Mahomes, he caught 2 TD passes against the Buccaneers. However, the celebration after his first TD catch has become the talk of the NFL world.

As he caught a perfect pass from Mahomes, Hopkins broke into a famous celebration from the movie Remember The Titans. An interesting choice two weeks after his move from the Titans? Well, some fans assumed that the celebration was Hopkins mocking his previous team after finding a better home at the Chiefs. Was that the case? After his highlight-reel touchdown celebration against the Buccaneers went viral, DeAndre Hopkins took to X with a heartfelt message to the Tennessee Titans and their GM Ran Carthon to clear all the doubts.

Hopkins’ celebration had fans buzzing, as it was more than just a show of skill – it was a nod to the Titans, the team that helped shape his journey. “It was a shout to Tennessee,” Hopkins wrote, adding, “If u know me, u know it’s nothing but love for Nashville.”

Reflecting on his time with the Titans, Hopkins gave a special shoutout to Carthon and his crew, calling them “like family.” Expressing gratitude, he added, “Without them, I wouldn’t be here.” For Hopkins, it was a perfect moment to honor the team that was pivotal in his career. All that talk of him mocking the Titans? Well, Hopkins is not that kind of guy, and the Titans’ fans showered love under his tweet, highlighting how much he meant to the team when he was there.

These are new times for Hopkins. Having a Super Bowl-winning QB throw the ba-l is part of that new experience. Are there parallels of an ageing but effective wide receiver joining forces with a great QB? Well, Hopkins has the answer to that question.

Are Mahomes-Hopkins the new Brady-Moss?

Some wise person must have said something about not raising the expectations when you start something new. Well, whatever that quote may be, it doesn’t matter to DeAndre Hopkins. Following his 2-TD game against Tampa Bay, Hopkins took to X with an interesting photo featuring the QB-WR duo of Tom Brady and Randy Moss.

Moss joined the New England Patriots in 2007 at 30 and together, they almost created history. In their first season together, the Patriots went undefeated during the regular season. The juggernaut was stopped by the New York Giants and Eli Manning in the Super Bowl.

The Mahomes-Hopkins situation is somewhat similar to Brady-Moss. If there are any gaps, Hopkins wouldn’t want us to notice them. An ageing quarterback who has had hall-of-fame calibre numbers as a wide receiver teaming up with a hall-of-fame calibre quarterback. That’s one. The second similarity may be unlikely, but the Chiefs are undefeated so far. Can Mahomes and Hopkins help the team have an undefeated season? Well, they’d hope so.

The only similarity that they’d like to avoid is how the year ended for the first duo- with a defeat in the Super Bowl. Just imagine! First year with the Chiefs and Hopkins help the team three-peat? Stuff of the dreams! Those are the expectations, that is the team. Winning regular season games is okay but expected. What matters is how you perform when the light is the brightest.