Hopkins, a former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star, was acquired via trade with the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago. He joins back-to-back Super Bowl champions with a resume that boasts seven 1,000-yard seasons, five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro awards.

Hopkins is unlikely to reestablish his best form, but at the same time, Monday’s performance ignites the imagination.

Mahomes became the 14th^th(!) quarterback to throw a touchdown to Hopkins in his career. It’s a roster that includes Brandon Weeden, Tom Savage, Brock Osweiler and TJ Yates, along with Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray.

Could Mahomes and Hopkins have something special brewing as the undefeated Chiefs continue their quest for a third title?

Nuk somehow caught a 35-yard pass from Mahomes in the second quarter despite triple coverage. He had a 12.3% completion chance, according to Next Gen Stats. It was Mahomes’ most improbable completion since Week 16 of 2018.

“You’ve seen DeAndre make those catches throughout his career,” Reid said. “You have two great players throwing at each other, sometimes great things happen. So it’s not the way we approached it, but it was a good finish.”

Two Kareem Hunt runs later, Mahomes found Hopkins in the back of the end zone for his first TD as a Chief. Hopkins responded with a Remember the titans touchdown celebration.

It was easy to remember how excellent Hopkins looked on Monday and what Mahomes can do when he has a top-notch WR1 in his arsenal.

Said Mahomes: “To have a guy like that who can go up and catch through a crowd of defenders is a special type of player.”