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Last season, Patrick Mahomes basically dragged the Kansas City Chiefs offense to another Super Bowl title, as his receiving corps—outside of superstar tight end Travis Kelce—didn’t do him many favors.
The 2024 season started on a far different note.
Rookie Xavier Worthy notched two touchdowns, Rashee Rice had seven catches for 103 yards and the Kansas City supporting cast helped Mahomes and the Chiefs start the season with a 27-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
It was a testament to Worthy (two catches for 47 yards and a score; one carry for 21 yards and a touchdown) and Rice that Kelce had a relatively quiet night (three catches for 34 yards) and the Chiefs were still humming on offense.
And that—combined with the fact that Marquise Brown wasn’t even on the field due to an injury—had fans and pundits alike excited for the upside of this new-look offense. That, and perhaps frightened for the rest of the NFL:
Granted, the Chiefs needed every last inch of the end zone to secure the victory.
On the final game, Isaiah Likely appeared to have pulled down a touchdown reception that would have either forced overtime following the extra point or a two-point conversion for a potential Ravens win. Replays showed, however, that his foot just brushed against the end line, ruling it an incompletion:
And that, folks, is how you open an NFL season—with a heavy dose of intrigue and drama.
If this Kansas City supporting cast proves to be as dynamic as it showed on Thursday night, however, the 2024 season may soon feel like a foregone conclusion. If Mahomes can lead the team to a title with a group of receivers last season that dropped passes at alarming rates, what might he do with one that has this level of big-play ability?
Win a third title in a row, that’s what. NFL defenses have been put on notice.