Getty Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Fresh off a big win in Week 7 and his best game in a Kansas City Chiefs uniform, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling spoke with Heavy on behalf of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, which drops its multiplayer mode on Friday, October 28.
Fellow Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster detailed during his Week 7 postgame presser that he, MVS, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce worked on their chemistry during a Friday night Call of Duty: Warzone session prior to their game against the San Francisco 49ers. MVS made it clear in his conversation with Heavy that he is the best Call of Duty player among the four, and he got the most kills that Friday night, which sparked back-to-back-to-back wins for them.
Since Smith-Schuster revealed the chemistry-building session between quarterback and pass catchers, it felt like a good time to ask MVS the ultimate question as he heads into the Chiefs’ Week 8 bye: If he had to choose one teammate — past or present — that he would want to jump out of a real plane into a real warzone with, who would it be?
The answer might surprise you.
“I would probably choose Aaron Rodgers, to be honest,” MVS, a four-year teammate of Rodgers during his time with the Green Bay Packers, said in an exclusive interview with Heavy. “And the reason I say that is because Aaron is a conspiracy theorist, and he probably has some type of secret bunker somewhere close by that we can set up shop in.”
That might not necessarily be the answer that Chiefs Kingdom wants to hear. But MVS’s answer is certainly justified.
MVS Riding High Off of Season-Best Performance
Against the 49ers, Valdes-Scantling recorded 3 catches for a season-high 111 yards, which included catches of 40 and 57 yards respectively. The Week 7 outing marked the second time in three weeks that MVS recorded his highest yardage total in a Chiefs uniform, which speaks to the rhythm that the 28-year-old receiver is beginning to get in.
On 3rd & 11, #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes connects with WR Matquez Valdes-Scantling for a 57-yard gain. #ChiefsKingdom
“It’s just kind of what we do in our room, in our offense,” MVS told Heavy. “Some weeks I’m going to have a big week, some weeks it’s gonna be JuJu, some weeks it’ll be Mecole (Hardman), Justin (Watson), obviously we’ve got a great tight end — the greatest one to ever do it — and then running backs and what not. I think it was just my turn right now, and I think that was kind of the basis of it.
“Each week is gonna be different guys — I think we had 10 or 11 guys touch the football last week — it’s a testament to how deep we are in our offense and the versatility we have as well. So being able to get that, and get it rolling is always good. Obviously, you want to put up big numbers every single week, but as long as we get the (win) that’s all that matters.”
Mahomes’ Hard Work Paying Off for Chiefs
MVS was one of several Chiefs pass catchers that had a big outing against San Francisco, which included big efforts from Smith-Schuster (7 catches, 124 yards, 1 touchdown), Kelce (6 catches, 98 yards), and Hardman (6 total touches, 3 touchdowns). This is all in large part due to Mahomes, who threw for a season-high 423 yards in Week 7 and is now 2nd overall in the NFL among quarterbacks in PFF grade (87.4), only behind Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen (90.6).
Valdes-Scantling, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Chiefs this offseason, praised Mahomes for his hard work ethic, which is something MVS admitted he wasn’t fully aware of before he came to Kansas City.
“I think that’s the biggest thing that you don’t get to see,” MVS told Heavy of Mahomes’ work ethic. “Obviously, I’ve gotten to compete against him throughout my years of playing football, and you always hear the talks of, ‘Oh, it’s Aaron vs. Patrick,’ so I was always in those conversations about who the better quarterback is, and all of that stuff. But (Mahomes) is so humble.
“He’s a super competitor, he doesn’t want to lose at anything. You’ll see him in the locker room shooting basketballs and trying to win at that. He’s super creative — half of our trick plays that we come up with that we run in the game he creates…he’s super creative and super competitive and I love that about him.”
The win in Week 7 improves the Chiefs’ record to 5-2 on the season. They enter the Week 8 bye in first place in the AFC West ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers (4-3), Las Vegas Raiders (2-4), and Denver Broncos (2-5).
After the bye week, the Chiefs play host to the 4-2 Tennessee Titans on Sunday, November 6 on Sunday Night Football.