DeAndre Hopkins makes promising debut as Chiefs extend win streak to 13 in a row by beating the Raiders

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The score for all posterity will say DeAndre Hopkins caught two passes for 29 yards in his debut with the Chiefs, who defeated the Raiders 27-20 on Sunday to run their winning streak to a franchise-record-tying 13 in a row.

His real impact was considerably greater than those modest figures.

Just two practices following his trade from the Titans, the three-time All-Pro wide receiver helped convert a key third down early in the game.

And even though he had a small number of plays at his disposal, Hopkins consistently won man-to-man, including a red zone play where he was open – and Travis Kelce finished with the TD reception.

“I thought he did a great job,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “I looked back at the tablet and there were a few moments where in the man coverage he was just really working and winning. Even the touchdown to Trav that I threw, if you look back on his side, he’s standing also open for a touchdown there.

“You see that on the field, it shows that if they’re going to play man coverage against him, he’s going to get open,” Mahomes added, “and I’ve got to give him opportunities to go out and make plays.”

Those odds will certainly increase as Hopkins becomes more comfortable in the Kansas City offense.

He’ll have more than a week to learn Andy Reid’s elaborate offensive system before he takes 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 wasn’t catching passes on Sunday, his presence on the field forced 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 also had one of his best games of the season, passing for 262 yards and two TDs against an interception of the tipped ball.

“It was good to get DeAndre involved in the limited reps he had in practice,” Reid said. “Listen, I thought he was good. He wanted to be there, which was positive, and I understand that. He will get more chances in the next game.”

What works

The Chiefs have made their opponents one-dimensional all season by shutting down their run games. The Raiders were the last to get in trouble, 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 against tight ends. That trend continued against the Raiders, who had rookie Brock Bowers leading 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 on Sunday. He had three of the Chiefs’ seven tackles-for-loss and laid out 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 rest of the season with a broken ankle. That task became even more difficult when Nazeeh Johnson entered the concussion protocol on Sunday. Josh Williams had plenty of opportunities, but struggled in pass coverage and was penalized for an out-of-bounds hit.

Injuries

Johnson played well before leaving Sunday’s game. Tight end Jody Fortson also suffered a serious knee injury when he botched an onside kick recovery late in the game; the Chiefs recovered it after all.

Key number

13 – The Chiefs have won 13 straight games following their loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day last season. That’s the longest streak for any NFL team since the Chiefs won 13 straight between the 2019 and 2020 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: Tom Brady’s Buccaneers defeated Kansas City to win the Super Bowl on February 7, 2021.