Going into Week 3, the stakes for the Kansas City Chiefs were clear. After two very important losses to the heir apparent in their division and the team that waxed them in Super Bowl LIX, Mahomes and Co. were flirting with unfamiliar territory. They, for the first time since Tom Brady's retirement, in a word, looked mortal. And an outing against the hapless Giants was not just a must-win, but a likely barometer on whether or not a Patrick Mahomes-led team would even make the playoffs.
Now, of course Kansas City escaped New York with the win. Even if their offense was just as stagnant as it was against the Eagles (294 total yards, 2 TDs), Russel Wilson would have lost New York the game (18-of-32, 160 yards, 2 INTs).
But perhaps the Chiefs' actual win (aside from avoiding their first 0-3 start since Kyle Orton was their quarterback) was their offense showing signs of actual life. Keep in mind that, while New York's secondary is one of the worst defensive units in the NFL, their pass rush is arguably the league's most talented and did give Kansas City's offensive line plenty of trouble. Their trio of Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter were everywhere, and Mahomes' ability to scramble was the only thing that saved Kansas City from a nightmare of a night.
But scramble Mahomes did, and he might have just found a special wide receiver connection that he's been missing since Tyreek Hill left.
Is Tyquan Thornton the answer the Chiefs have been searching for?
He only scored a single touchdown, but Tyquan Thornton looked like he was everywhere in the Meadowlands. It seemed that whenever the Giants thought they'd had a break, Thornton was able to make a broken play, belying a small amount of, but still career-high five catches on nine targets. And that's because his five catches averaged out to over 14 yards per — and the highlight reel passes the eye test as well.
Thornton was a revelation after a disappointing first few years in New England, and profiles as the exact type of role player that Xavier Worthy does. As for what this means going forward, who knows? Rashee Rice is set to return in three weeks after his suspension is lifted, and Worthy, while injured, might be able to return as early as Week 4 against the Ravens.
But it is significant that there were more than a few experts that put the Chiefs on upset watch going into MetLife, given the state of their offense as of late. Travis Kelce looked older and slower, they were down to what many thought was just going to be Juju Smith-Schuster, the laundry list of problems goes on and on.
But Tyquan Thornton didn't just buy the Chiefs time: he had a signature performance under arguably the most negative pressure Kansas City has faced in a very long time, and likely made a case for himself to have a much bigger role in the offense going forward, even with Rice and Worthy returning. And most importantly, the eye test revealed that he and Patrick Mahomes do have more chemistry than not — and that means a lot for a team that thought they were simply bereft of weapons for the near future.