KANSAS CITY, Mo. — During the first 98 games of Jerick McKinnon’s NFL career, he had eight receiving touchdowns. That includes one against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Kansas City Chiefs’ home opener in September.
During the last month, McKinnon has emerged as a touchdown-receiving machine out of the backfield with seven in the last five games, including a 6-yard TD in the second quarter and a 3-yard score in the fourth quarter Sunday during a 27-24 win against Denver at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“It’s cool to see because he just does his job,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “That’s the biggest thing is he does his job to the best of his ability — if that’s protecting, if that’s running a route, if that’s running the football, whatever it is. Those are the guys you need to go out there and win football games.”
The receiving-touchdown binge also landed McKinnon in the NFL record books as the only running back in league history during the Super Bowl era, which began in 1970, with a receiving score in five straight games, according to the Chiefs.
That receiving TD is McKinnon's 7th TD reception of the season. He now has a TD reception in five consecutive games, the first RB in in the NFL since 1970 to have a TD catch in 5 straight games
— Chiefs Communications (@ChiefsPR) January 1, 2023
“It’s a blessing, first of all, but I couldn’t do any of it without my teammates,” McKinnon said. “The O-line is blocking on a whole other level right now. Pat is on another level right now.”
McKinnon leads all NFL running backs with eight receiving touchdowns during the 2022 season.
“If I would have told you I saw it coming, nah, but that’s what you put the work in for, so when your opportunity comes you’re ready,” he said. “I’ve definitely done so.”
McKinnon also had a rushing score at Houston on Dec. 18, giving him eight total touchdowns in the last five games.
“It’s extremely special,” Mahomes said. “It’s so cool to me because he’s one of those guys that does it the right way. It’s not like he’s looking for the glory or the praise. He just comes to work every single day with a smile on his face and he brings the energy.”
Mahomes said McKinnon is one of the most popular players in the locker room as a result.
“It’s good to see all the hard work is paying off for him,” Mahomes said. “Hopefully he can keep scoring touchdowns. It’s a good thing for us.”
McKinnon now has more receiving touchdowns (15) than rushing scores (13) in his NFL career.
“He just finds a way to get in the end zone,” Mahomes said. “A lot of those things, he’s not the first read, he’s not the second read. ... The fact that he’s able to just be in the right spot at the right time, whenever I need to hit a checkdown, I can get it to him and he makes the most of it getting into the end zone.”
McKinnon’s NFL journey has had its ups and downs, but the last month puts the adversity earlier in his career into perspective.
“In San Fran, I had two knee surgeries and missed two years in a row,” McKinnon said. “That was definitely tough for me being in that situation.”
Now, playing for one of the brightest offensive minds in NFL history (Andy Reid) alongside one of the most transcendent young talents (Mahomes) makes the journey worth it.
“I’m definitely thankful for the opportunity,” McKinnon said.
He played quarterback at Georgia Southern in the triple-option before moving to tailback for most of his senior season, but Reid credited that experience for helping him as a receiving threat now.
“He kind of knows how the game works as a whole and he’s patient,” Reid said. “I think that helps in the run game, knowing how gaps are set up, knowing how secondaries fill for the run, and he catches the ball.”
