People thought the Kansas City Chiefs were going to struggle at home following the absence of Rashee Rice, Isaiah Pacheco, and Marquise Brown. However, the red team had another ace up their sleeve. You might have guessed it by now—it’s JuJu Smith-Schuster. He showed up today in a big way, and his performance has undoubtedly eased Patrick Mahomes’ anxiety to some degree.

Schuster made some big plays and recorded the most receiving yards on the Kansas City roster. Two years ago, he was with the Chiefs, then moved to the New England Patriots, and now Andy Reid has brought him back. Mahomes was happy to be reunited with his former teammate after the 26-13 win against the New Orleans Saints.

A reporter caught up with Mahomes after the game and asked him about Smith-Schuster, who has been filling in for some very skilled players. The Chiefs QB believes that Smith-Schuster “stepped up” in a big way and added, “Yeah, he stepped up. I mean, that’s the perfect way to say it.” Mahomes also happens to know that he’d find his receiver open.

“I mean, he’s done it before with us.  He knows how to go out there and get open. And today was his day. It’s going to be by committee. It’s going to be a lot of different guys in that role. But I’m glad JuJu showed that he still got it. And I’m glad he’s on our football team.”

The Kansas City Chiefs hadn’t relied on the former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver in their previous four games. Before this Monday Night Football bout, Smith-Schuster had just 2 receptions and 17 yards to show for the season, along with a lone touchdown in the 4 games he played earlier. However, this game established that hiring Smith-Schuster was the right decision for the Chiefs.

The wide receiver didn’t score a touchdown today, but he made some significant strides, averaging 18.6 yards per reception and catching 8 of his 7 targets. It was his first 100-yard game since October 2022.

What JuJu Smith-Schuster thinks about the dub

The Chiefs’ new receiver spoke to Scott Van Pelt after the game and mentioned how it’s been a breeze working with Patrick Mahomes and settling into the KC offense. Having been with the team before, it’s only logical that the receiver faced a less taxing learning curve. He revealed what he worked on in practice and how it translated on the field.

“We worked very very hard throughout our practice to work on that chemistry, that timing, to getting it down and when you come out here, it’s like you said, it’s like riding a bike,” the Chiefs WR told SVP after the game. Mahomes had the highest passing yards in the season in this game and the reason behind that is Smith-Schuster for sure.

But the Pro Bowler thinks that there are still some holes in KC’s offense that need to be fixed. His inspiration comes from Patrick Mahomes, who said last week that the offense is not performing to its fullest potential. But KC might have gained the confidence of their fans after the team delivered a stellar win.

The Chiefs will go on a bye week now, but when they come back, they have their Super Bowl rival, the San Francisco 49ers to deal with.