Here’s what the Chiefs will miss with Tyquan Thornton out. So what’s next? Patrick Mahomes is No. 1 in the NFL in this statistic. But suddenly the equation has changed. Read more in the full story:

The image that aptly symbolizes the Chiefs’ undefeated opening four weeks is now the image that represents the uncertainty baked into the next 13.

It’s Tyquan Thornton winning downfield against Cover-0 in Las Vegas, tracking the deep throw from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, gaining 55 yards and standing up to celebrate it.

Then, it’s what he realized next.

He dislocated his ankle on a hip-drop tackle to finish the play, and he will miss at least the next three months and possibly (likely?) the rest of the season.

One of the best stories in the Chiefs’ locker room is suddenly one of the least forgiving. And this speaks to just how good of a story Thornton, cut less than two years ago in the middle of a season in New England, had become:

The uncertainty is how the Chiefs can replace him. That discussion will center on one very specific part of his production. The Chiefs have revitalized their downfield passing game this season. It was left dormant a year ago, when Mahomes graded 26th among 27 qualifying quarterbacks on throws of 20-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage, per PFF data.

His grade on those throws this season: No. 1.

The presence of running back Kenneth Walker in the backfield has a way of opening things up deeper into the secondary. The defense has inched closer to the line of scrimmage, leaving some gaps behind them. Mahomes has seen Cover-0 more frequently, and has tallied three times the amount of yards against those looks as any other quarterback, per SIS data.

In the past three games alone, he has hit on six downfield shots. The receiver on four of the six? You guessed it:

Thornton. Mahomes has 261 yards on downfield throws in the past three weeks (87 yards per game), three shy of the Carolina’s Bryce Young for the NFL lead. That’s nearly double what he averaged per game last year.

You’d probably assume that it makes a difference in the outcome of a drive when there is at least one downfield completion part of it. But that difference is rather significant. The Chiefs have turned all six with a deep completion into points, and most of them into touchdowns — an average at 5.67 points per possession.

On the remaining 37 drives that do not feature a deep completion, the Chiefs have averaged 2.27 points.

It’s not everything. It sure can feel like it, though. Thornton hasn’t provided all the deep completions. It sure can feel like it, though.

He is second only to Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and New Orleans wide receiver Chris Olave with 172 yards on downfield receptions. He is tied for the NFL lead with two contested catches on downfield throws. This is his value.

The Chiefs were forced to toss aside the brutal sight of his injury and finish a game. They’re now forced to figure out how they to navigate the next 13 weeks. There is no obvious direction to turn. There is not a class of impact free agents without NFL jobs a month into the season. The option that has generated buzz in recent days — a reunion with Tyreek Hill — comes with far more complications. It always has.

Hill led the NFL in downfield receptions three times in the span of six years from 2018-2023. That’s the type of player the Chiefs want. But Hill is not only working his way back from a serious knee injury at age 32 that would require extensive medical evaluation — he is also in the middle of a civil trial in which his estranged wife alleged domestic abuse Tuesday in a courtroom. Hill remains under an active personal conduct policy review with the league, per NBC Sports. It should go without saying, but the Chiefs shouldn’t bank on that option.

Do they look have an option inside the room? The vertical route tree is not why they drafted Jalen Royals (Shop Royals Fan Gear) a year ago nor why the selected Cyrus Allen in the spring. But it is why they drafted Xavier Worthy in 2023. Worthy caught a deep pass Sunday, and what’s more notable are the circumstances in which he did. The pass was underthrown. He adjusted, and even caught it in traffic. It’s his first downfield reception of the season. It’s his second contested catch on a downfield shot in two seasons.

Thornton has minimized the relevance of the previous paragraph. He’s excelled enough on his own. The deep part of the field is open unlike the past three years. It’s an opportunity to take advantage. Thornton ran with it. It’s been a vital part of a Chiefs offense that ranks third in the NFL in yards. It all works a bit more smoothly when those yards come in chunks.