DeAndre Hopkins takes a tiny step forward: Hopkins stayed on the field a little more often than last week but was still rotated out more than Justin Watson and Xavier Worthy.
The Chiefs’ top three wide receivers remained the same as last week, but they adjusted how they used their wide receivers.
Last week, all three played roughly two-thirds of their snaps out wide and one-third from the slot. Most of Hopkins’ receptions came at the X-receiver spot, leading to more receptions than anyone has received from Mahomes while lined up out wide and on the line of scrimmage. Hopkins’ role was fairly similar this week. He again caught one big pass from the slot, but most of his receptions came lined up out wide.
The main difference this week is Worthy stuck mostly to the outside, while Watson was the clear primary slot receiver. His 25 snaps from the slot were his most in a game since joining the Chiefs in 2022. When he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the start of his career, he lined up in the slot more often.
This opens the door for JuJu Smith-Schuster to take over for Watson as the primary slot receiver once he’s healthy. Smith-Schuster gained 130 receiving yards in Week 5 but has missed time since then due to a hamstring injury. This should allow Hopkins, Worthy and Smith-Schuster to co-exist nicely while the Chiefs continue their quest for a third straight Super Bowl.
