Chiefs, DeAndre Hopkins Building Confidence Following WR's Big Game vs. Buccaneers

DeAndre Hopkins had his best game as a Chief on Monday night, and both he and the team believe he's settling in more by the day.

Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (8) runs with the ball past Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Josh Hayes (32) during overtime at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs got back to their winning ways in Week 9, securing a full-team victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The overtime thriller saw a good handful of players rise to the occasion, but not many were as effective as wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Ironically, that was just the second game with Kansas City for Hopkins. The 32-year-old made a solid impact in his Chiefs debut in Week 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes optimistic about the future. All they had to do was wait eight days to see tangible improvements, as Hopkins delivered a vintage performance on the Monday Night Football stage with eight receptions, 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Following the win, Reid was asked what the key to Hopkins's quick integration has been. He believes it's partially his coaching staff but mostly the player being one of the best in the business.

"First of all, he's smart," Reid said. "And he's got a lot of experience. We put more in for him this week, and Connor (Embree) does a nice job with those guys of getting them ready to go. DeAndre is a veteran player who's a smart guy, so that's most of it right there."

Hopkins credits everyone around him for keeping him on top of his game and making him feel right at home as time passes.

"A lot more comfortable," Hopkins said. "Coaches do a great job of getting me prepared. I think it's not just Connor, but everybody on the offensive side. Everybody's always testing me, asking me questions, just seeing my knowledge of the offense as we go."

🤫 pic.twitter.com/wmjEu1JFtv

— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) November 5, 2024

Most of the damage Hopkins did came in the first half of play. On Kansas City's second possession of the game, he had three catches for 29 yards and helped get the team in field goal range. On the ensuing drive, he answered a prayer of a throw from Mahomes (which can be seen above) for a 35-yard conversion to the 3-yard line. He'd go on to haul in a touchdown just three plays later.

Don't get it twisted: Hopkins still made his presence felt down the stretch. His five-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter was in a goal-to-go situation at a pivotal point in the contest, as was his 15-yard play on the game-winning drive in overtime. From a trust standpoint, the Chiefs displayed plenty of it on Monday night. They already feel comfortable giving Hopkins opportunities to shift the outcomes of tight games.

Mahomes, known for his unique connection with tight end Travis Kelce, thinks a similar mindset helps him establish the same with Hopkins.

"He's just so good at winning one-on-one," Mahomes said. "So to be able to have him down in the red zone [and] on third down situations, he does a good job of feeling out and finding those windows kind of like Travis does. I think as he figures out the whole entire offense, he'll get even better because there are some times he's going places and I'm like, 'Man, there's a time and a place for that.' That's what makes him great – you give him a chance down the field and he makes a play. It goes from a play where it might've been a bad decision to a big-time catch."

In the days leading up to Week 9's outing, Reid made it perfectly clear that he was fine with expanding his new wideout's role. The immediate returns on that ever-growing investment are tremendous. Even after a two-score game, it's worth keeping in mind that Hopkins remains in the onboarding stage of his Chiefs tenure. There's likely a higher ceiling to the overall impact he's capable of, even if the box score production is already here.

With nine regular-season games left to play, that should be scary to think about.

Read More: Four Takeaways from the Kansas City Chiefs' 30-24 Win Over the TB Buccaneers