Patrick Mahomes thrives in Week 1 without Tyreek Hill

The Kansas City Chiefs entered a brave new world Sunday afternoon, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemed poised to conquer it.

Patrick Mahomes should be a diminished talent without his star wide receiver. It didn’t turn out that way, at least not in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.

In the desert at State Farm Stadium, Mahomes threw great guns, throwing 360 yards on 30 of 39 passes with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Mahomes led the league in both passer scoring and QBR for the weekend while leading Kansas City to an impressive 44-21 triumph.

In the future, the tests will only get harder. For starters, the Chiefs are coming home to open with the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium in a short week. After that, it’s back-to-back road games against two division favorites in the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before home games in Weeks 5 and 6 with the Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills.

Patrick Mahomes dominated the Cardinals without Tyreek Hill

Still, Mahomes’ initial performance in the post-Tyreek Hill era must dispel most doubts that he and Kansas City are moving forward. Without Hill, the Chiefs focused on passing the ball, with nine different players catching at least one pass, including four different men who made touchdown receptions, including a pair for third-year running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Again it’s a game. At some point, Chiefs will surely miss Hill’s mismatches and the explosiveness it creates. But Kansas City has made it clear it can continue to thrive with a new way of working, with the results being chillingly familiar.