When the Kansas City Chiefs acquired DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans for a lowly draft pick Brett Veach had no qualms about parting ways with, the expectation was that he would become an immediate No. 1 or No. 2 option in the passing game. In his first extended action with the team, Hopkins has looked the part.
Facing a paper-thin Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary, the Chiefs went to Hopkins early and often in this one. About midway through the second quarter, Hopkins had already recorded six catches for 66 yards in a truly devilish showing of what he can do with Patrick Mahomes.
Hopkins' first big play with the Chiefs was a spectacular catch from a Mahomes bomb into triple coverage. This grab, which has become a signature of Hopkins' across the league, was followed by his first touchdown with Kansas City to put the Chiefs up by a score of 10-7.
Not only did Hopkins keep his feet inbounds and score the touchdown, but he lit social media on fire with a tribute to "Remember The Titans" as his celebration. Hopkins seems to be fitting in just fine with his new pals as he chases a Super Bowl.
DeAndre Hopkins has his 1st TD with the Chiefs 🔥
— NFL (@NFL) November 5, 2024
📺: #TBvsKC on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/66m1vCIX3m
DeAndre Hopkins makes amazing catch, follows with first Chiefs touchdown
Anyone thinking that Hopkins had lost a step after looking at his numbers with the Tennessee Titans is just box score scouting. Surprisingly, going from Will Levis and Mason Rudolph on one of the worst teams in the league to Mahomes on a contender has woken him back up.
Even if Hopkins doesn't have amazing speed at this point in his career, the future Hall of Famer is still one of the best in the league at making catches in traffic. With extremely sticky hands, Hopkins is instantly the new WR1 in Kansas City.
With Hopkins getting his groove back and Travis Kelce getting more opportunities now that the defense has to account for No. 8 on the outside, the Chiefs' offense is finally starting to get some traction after a few weeks of being stuck in the mud. Expect a few more highlight-reel plays from Hopkins.