EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Midway through the pivotal play in Sunday night’s win, Tyquan Thornton, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ receiver, turned his head to the left and could see — more than 30 yards away — that quarterback Patrick Mahomes was loading to launch another deep pass.
When the ball reached its apex, Thornton had one thought enter his mind: “Hold onto it this time.”
On the previous play, Thornton burned cornerback Cor’Dale Flott on a fly route for what appeared to be a diving 34-yard touchdown catch, but Thornton couldn’t secure the ball after he landed on the turf. After the replay assist nullified the highlight, Thornton’s next play was a corner route against cornerback Paulson Adebo. Before the ball was snapped on the third-and-10 play in the fourth quarter, Thornton and Mahomes made eye contact.
“I knew he was coming to me,” Thornton said. “I knew he was going to give me another opportunity.”
The Chiefs’ biggest offensive highlight from their 22-9 win against the New York Giants was when Thornton rewarded Mahomes with a contested and acrobatic catch over Adebo for a 33-yard reception. Thornton, based on tracking data, had just a 15.7% catch probability, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. With Adebo draped on top of him, Thornton — in a fun-loving gesture — raised his right arm and pointed his right index finger to the sky, an image that quickly became a meme for fans on social media.
“I learned that in high school, just kind of giving the sideline like a confirmation that we got this one because I didn’t hold onto the first one,” Thornton said, laughing. “Everybody is like, ‘Hold on, did he get it?’ But once you see that hand up, it lets you know you can breathe a little bit.”
Tyquan Thornton reels it in!
KCvsNYG on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/IjbXoh0P14— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2025
The Chiefs scored their second touchdown of the second half on the next play, a 1-yard run from running back Kareem Hunt. Inside the visitors locker room in MetLife Stadium, the player who received the most adulation from his peers was Thornton, a four-year veteran who has been a larger contributor for the offense than anyone on the team could have expected when the season began three weeks ago.
Thornton’s performance Sunday helped the Chiefs avoid an 0-3 start. He led the Chiefs with five receptions for a career-high 71 yards, including a touchdown.
“I knew he was going to be a good player, but he’s even exceeding my expectations,” Mahomes said. “He’s stepping up whenever the opportunity has been provided for him.”
Through three games, the Chiefs’ offense also has needed a capable role player.
The unit began the season without its best skill position player. Receiver Rashee Rice is in the middle of serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. After only three plays into a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs were also without receiver Xavier Worthy, their fastest player. Worthy sustained a dislocated right shoulder when he collided with tight end Travis Kelce, who was running a crossing route in the opposite direction. Even rookie receiver Jalen Royals sat out two games because of a right knee injury.
The Chiefs have used Thornton’s speed to exploit opposing team’s man-to-man coverages. In each game, Mahomes has completed a deep pass to Thornton. Such results have led Mahomes this season to average 25.2 air yards when targeting Thornton, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
“He’s showing some things,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Thornton. “He’s a guy that I know [receiver] JuJu [Smith-Schuster] spoke highly of when he was with the [New England] Patriots and Bill Belichick gave him big compliments. He’s come in here and done nothing but work hard.”
Although Thornton, a 2022 second-round pick, never became a consistent player with the Patriots, the Chiefs were intrigued by his combination of size (6-foot-2 and 185 pounds) and speed. In late November, the Chiefs signed Thornton to their practice squad. At the time, Thornton knew he wasn’t expected to be elevated to the active roster while the Chiefs were pursuing their third consecutive Vince Lombardi Trophy. Toward the end of most practices, Thornton ran routes for Mahomes, the two experimenting on how their connection could look as part of the Chiefs’ 2025 season.
“When I first got here coming from New England, seeing these guys practice at a high level, how they do the little things, I was just a guy just trying to be a part of that,” Thornton said. “Every day was like the Super Bowl for me. It was a blessing.”
Six months later, Thornton, having continued working with Mahomes throughout the offseason, was one of the most impressive performers in training camp. Thornton’s best repetition in camp was in a 7-on-7 period, when his assignment was to run a deep corner route against man coverage. Although nickel cornerback Chamarri Conner provided tight coverage, Mahomes still threw a meticulous 30-yard pass, and the ball placed just past the defender’s outstretched arms and into Thornton’s hands for a diving catch.
“Honestly, his timing and chemistry with Pat has just grown and grown,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “I’m really proud of him and I’m excited to see what he’s going to do.”
One highlight in Sunday’s win illustrated how much trust Mahomes has in Thornton.
Early in the third quarter, the Chiefs were searching for their first touchdown. Mahomes’ initial read on a third-and-3 snap from the Giants’ 5-yard line was Kelce, who ran a short out route. The next option for Mahomes was Smith-Schuster, who ran a hitch route at the goal line. Once the Giants covered Kelce and Smith-Schuster, Mahomes went to his third read, noticing that Thornton won his one-on-one matchup against Adebo on a slant. Without hesitation, Mahomes threw a strike to Thornton, who made a sliding catch in the back of the end zone.
“Just knowing the [Giants] coverage, that was a good job by him,” Mahomes said. “He did a good job being open and being in the right spot so that when I turn to get to that third progression, he’s right in my vision and I can make the throw.”
Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS), the Chiefs are optimistic Worthy will be able to play a limited role for the offense while wearing a small harness. Mahomes and Reid say they are confident the Chiefs can continue to be successful on deep passes with Thornton running routes alongside Worthy. By Week 7, Mahomes’ dropbacks could feature him having a combination of quality options — such as Kelce, Thornton, Worthy, Rice and Hollywood Brown.
Following the best game of his career, Thornton is confident he can have a positive impact for the Chiefs’ offense.
“I knew what I could do by this team taking a chance on me, and Pat giving me the opportunity to go out there and make plays,” he said. “I’m just proving myself right.”
