Patrick Mahomes is continuing to build a strong connection with his tight end — but it’s not the one many might expect.
Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Noah Gray for the second week in a row, helping the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Carolina Panthers 30-27 on Sunday. After a loss to Buffalo the previous week, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions (10-1) stayed at the top of the AFC.
Mahomes threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Gray on the Chiefs’ first possession and later connected with him again for an 11-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
In the past two weeks, Gray has caught four touchdowns — twice as many as Travis Kelce, a nine-time Pro Bowler, has all season. Gray has become a key part of the Chiefs’ passing game, especially after top wide receiver Rashee Rice was lost to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4.
Although Kelce had six catches for 62 yards in this game, he looked disappointed after dropping an easy pass. Kelce has 62 catches for 507 yards this season, while Gray has 26 catches for 249 yards.
But Gray’s recent progress is encouraging for the Chiefs, and he and Mahomes are clearly in sync.
On his second touchdown, Gray mentioned that Mahomes “gave me the answer to the test” before the play.
“He told me what coverage it was pre-snap,” Gray said. “That’s just the blessing you have of playing with a quarterback like that. The offensive line did a great job blocking, and the receivers ran their routes well to get me open. It was really a team effort on that touchdown.”
Gray added that this kind of communication with Mahomes is nothing new for him.
“Pat’s preparation and leadership is something that I’m fortunate enough to play alongside,” Gray said. “I love it. It motivates me every time we go out there for a long drive. Having a leader like that, who prepares every single week, knows defenses, knows the game plans… I’m just lucky to play with a guy like that.”
Mahomes completed 27 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns in the game. He explained how he knew exactly what to do on the second touchdown to Gray.
“It’s not just me, it’s the quarterback coaches and the players,” Mahomes said. “We go through certain checks against certain coverages. I could tell by how they lined up that they were going into their cover-zero look. I alerted the guys to make sure they saw what I saw and then gave the check at the line of scrimmage.”
