Tyquan Thornton Is Becoming the Deep Threat Patrick Mahomes Has Been Missing

 Third-and-12.

Overtime.

The Kansas City Chiefs are backed up inside their own 30-yard line.

This is where football games can end.

Instead, Patrick Mahomes looked downfield and found Tyquan Thornton.

Thirty yards.

First down.

Drive alive.

Kansas City eventually turned that possession into Harrison Butker's first overtime field goal, and the Chiefs ultimately escaped Indianapolis with a 33–30 victory.

Thornton's catch was enormous.

It also wasn't his only big play.

Earlier in the game, Mahomes hit Thornton for 45 yards, putting Kansas City at the Indianapolis 1-yard line and setting up another scoring opportunity.

Two catches.

Seventy-five yards.

Both changed drives.

That is exactly what Kansas City needs from him.

Speed Is Only Valuable If Defenses Respect It

Thornton has never lacked speed.

He ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash coming out of Baylor.

NFL defensive backs know he can run.

But there is a difference between possessing speed and forcing defenses to respect it.

That requires production.

If a receiver runs deep repeatedly without catching the football, safeties eventually stop worrying quite as much.

Make a few plays like Thornton made Sunday night and the equation changes.

Now the cornerback cannot cheat.

The safety has to stay deep.

The middle of the field becomes larger.

And suddenly Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice and Kansas City's other receivers have more room underneath.

That is why Thornton doesn't need eight catches every Sunday to become extremely valuable.

He needs defenses to believe Mahomes will throw him the football when he gets behind them.

Sunday provided evidence that he will.

The Overtime Catch Was the Bigger Play

The 45-yard reception will probably make the prettier highlight reel.

I liked the 30-yarder better.

Kansas City faced third-and-12 in overtime.

Everybody knew Mahomes had to throw.

Indianapolis generated pressure.

Thornton still created separation in one-on-one coverage, and Mahomes delivered the ball downfield.

That's not a gadget play.

That's not catching a defense surprised by play-action.

That's a receiver winning when the Chiefs needed someone to win.

Those are the plays that build quarterback trust.

Mahomes now knows that when Thornton sees single coverage in a critical situation, he has another option.

That matters.

My Take

The Chiefs have spent years searching for ways to recreate the vertical pressure that once made their offense almost unfair.

I'm not comparing Tyquan Thornton to Tyreek Hill.

He doesn't need to be Tyreek Hill.

He needs to make safeties nervous.

Sunday night was a very good start.

If Thornton can consistently produce even two or three legitimate downfield opportunities per game, he changes the geometry of Kansas City's offense.

Think about what defenses already have to process.

Kenneth Walker is now threatening them on the ground.

Travis Kelce still commands attention in the middle.

Rashee Rice can create yards after the catch.

Xavier Worthy's speed has to be respected.

Then Thornton runs past somebody.

There are only 11 defenders.

Andy Reid's job is to make them choose incorrectly.

Thornton just gave him another way to do it.

The catch on third-and-12 in overtime is the play I'll remember.

Because speed gets you onto an NFL roster.

Making that catch when the Chiefs desperately need it gets Patrick Mahomes looking for you the next time the game is on the line.

Sources: Chiefs — Week 2 game highlights; Yahoo Sports — How the Chiefs escaped the Colts in overtime; A to Z Sports — Chiefs Week 2 winners and losers.