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

It is unlikely that Hopkins will return to his top form, but at the same time Monday’s performance tickles the imagination.

Mahomes became the 14th^e(!) quarterback who threw a career-high touchdown to Hopkins. It’s a list that includes Brandon Weeden, Tom Savage, Brock Osweiler and TJ Yates, along with Deshaun Watson and Kyler Murray.

Can Mahomes and Hopkins brew something special as the undefeated Chiefs continue their quest for a three-peat?

Nuk somehow hauled in a 35-yard Mahomes pass in the second quarter despite triple coverage. According to Next Gen Stats, it had a 12.3% completion probability. It was Mahomes’ most improbable completion since Week 16, 2018.

“You’ve seen DeAndre make those catches throughout his career,” Reid said. “You have two great players throwing at each other, and sometimes great things happen. So it’s not the way we planned 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 one Think of the Titans celebration of the landing.

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

Mahomes said, “It’s a special type of player to have a guy like that who can step up and make that catch in a crowd of defenders.”