Down their top two wide receivers, the Kansas City Chiefs needed a role player to step up in Week 3. On the Sunday Night Football stage, Tyquan Thornton once again rose to the occasion.
In a 22-9 victory against the New York Giants, multiple players delivered with quality performances on the road. Not many did better than the fourth-year man, though, which is a testament to his early-season impact.
Everyone ranging from his head coach to his quarterback is noticing the results.
Andy Reid Glad to See WR Tyquan Thornton Thriving Early in Season
One particular late-game sequence stands out. On a second-and-10 from the Giants’ 34-yard line, quarterback Patrick Mahomes uncorked a deep ball to Thornton. It was initially ruled a touchdown but upon further (and quick) review, that was reversed to an incomplete pass.
Instead of going elsewhere, Kansas City went right back to Thornton on the next play. While he didn’t quite get into the end zone, he did the next-best thing. His 33-yard snag set up a one-yard touchdown run by halfback Kareem Hunt.
Speaking to the media following Sunday night’s game, head coach Andy Reid expanded on Thornton’s heroics.
“Well, both of them, right?” Reid said. “He had the one, back-to-back, Pat went to him. It was a nice job making the second one go there. He’s showing some things. He’s a guy that I know JuJu [Smith-Schuster] spoke highly of when he was with the Patriots. I mentioned Bill Belichick gave him good compliments, and he’s come in here and done nothing but work hard. It’s nice to see him getting an opportunity.”
Patrick Mahomes Breaks Down Late-Game Decisions to Feed Thornton in Chiefs’ Win
That wasn’t the only noteworthy Thornton-related development from Week 3. He led the Chiefs in targets (9), receptions (5) and receiving yards (71) on the evening, also hauling in Mahomes’ only touchdown pass.
His fourth quarter was perhaps the most impactful, though. Following up Reid’s podium address postgame, Mahomes dove into his decisions to keep trying Thornton down the field.
“We had the pass on the field and with the review, I got to talk it over with the guys on the sideline,” Mahomes said. “We thought they might play man coverage, and we had a good play that we got to. It was just about buying time with that defensive line. I wish I could’ve gotten it a little bit further and made it an easier catch, but a tremendous catch by him on that right there, and then securing it and getting us to the 1 [yard line] so we could score a touchdown.”
Thornton’s career arc has been anything but standard for a former second-round NFL Draft pick. He quickly flamed out with the New England Patriots, and last season was easily his worst. Playing just six games, he mustered all of 4 grabs for 47 yards. He later found his way to Kansas City and stuck around the organization this offseason on a reserve/futures contract. To say that’s paying off for both sides would somehow be an understatement.
In three weeks this year, Thornton has 9 receptions for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Given the Chiefs have missed Rashee Rice all season and Xavier Worthy for most of it, they’ve needed every contribution possible. Mahomes says he thought Thornton would produce, but not to this extent.
“I knew he was going to be a good football player, but he’s even exceeding my expectations,” Mahomes said. “He’s stepping up whenever the opportunity has been provided for him.”
An unexpected hero helped bring the Chiefs their first win of the season. Moving forward, however, Thornton won’t be flying under the radar.
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