KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The box score for all of posterity will say that DeAndre Hopkins caught two passes for 29 yards in his debut with the Chiefs, who proceeded to beat the Raiders 27-20 on Sunday to run their winning streak to a franchise record-tying 13 in a row.
His real impact was significantly more than those modest numbers.
After just two practices following his trade from the Titans, the three-time All-Pro wide receiver helped to convert an important third down early in the game.
And even though he had a small number of plays at his disposal, Hopkins consistently won in man-to-man coverage, including a red zone play in which he was open — and Travis Kelce wound up with the TD reception.
“I thought he did a great job,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. "I looked back at the tablet and there was a couple of times where in man coverage he was just really working and winning. Even the touchdown to Trav I threw, if you look back on his side, he's open, too, for a touchdown there.
“You see that on field, it shows if they're going to play man coverage against him, he's going to get open,” Mahomes added, “and I have to give him chances to go out there and make plays.”
Those chances are certain to increase the more comfortable Hopkins becomes in the Kansas City offense.
He will have another week-plus to learn Andy Reid's extensive offensive system before stepping on the field again Monday night, when the Chiefs (7-0) play their first home game in nearly a month against the Buccaneers.
But even when Hopkins was not catching passes on Sunday, his mere presence on the field was forcing the Raiders to respect him. That in turn created more openings for everyone else. Kelce had 10 catches for 90 yards, Xavier Worthy had four for 37 yards and a score, and Justin Watson caught all three of his targets for 33 yards.
Mahomes had one of his best games of the season, too, with 262 yards and two TDs passing against a tipped-ball interception.
“It was good to get DeAndre in there in the limited reps he had in practice,” Reid said. "Listen, I thought he was good. He wanted to be in there, which was a positive, and I understand. He’ll get more chances the next game."
What’s working
The Chiefs have made opponents one-dimensional all season by shutting down their run games. The Raiders were the latest to get bottled up, running 21 times for 33 yards, or an average of 1.6 yards per attempt.
What needs help
As good as the Chiefs have been against the run, they have struggled to deal with tight ends. That trend continued against the Raiders, who had rookie Brock Bowers led the way with five catches on five targets for 58 yards.
Stock up
Drue Tranquill is often overshadowed by fellow linebacker Nick Bolton, but it was impossible to overlook his play Sunday. He had three of the Chiefs' seven tackles-for-loss and laid a lick on Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Stock down
The Chiefs are trying to find a replacement for cornerback Jaylen Watson, who will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured ankle. That task got even tougher when Nazeeh Johnson went into the concussion protocol Sunday. Josh Williams had ample opportunities but struggled in pass coverage and was penalized for a hit out of bounds.
Injuries
Johnson had been playing well before leaving Sunday's game. Tight end Jody Fortson also sustained a serious knee injury when he botched the recovery of an onside kick at the end of the game; the Chiefs recovered it anyway.
Key number
13 — The Chiefs have won 13 consecutive games going back to their loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day last season. That is the longest streak for any NFL team since the Chiefs won 13 straight between the 2019-20 seasons.
Next steps
The Chiefs play Tampa Bay on Monday night. They have won two of the past three in the series, but that loss was a big one: The Buccaneers of Tom Brady routed Kansas City to win the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, 2021.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
