Josh Downs celebrates move to Chiefs as Kansas City adds slot help before Atlanta trip

Josh Downs went from a 2-7 team to a 6-2 team on deadline day, and he did not need many words to show how he felt about it. After the Kansas City Chiefs acquired the slot receiver from Indianapolis on Tuesday, Downs posted the well-known clip of Vince Carter fighting back tears at his Toronto Raptors jersey retirement, ESPN reported. Patrick Mahomes reposted it with a clock emoji. Downs also thanked the Colts, writing that he was "beyond grateful and blessed for my time in Indy."

The deal itself is modest in cost. Kansas City sends 2027 fourth- and fifth-round picks to Indianapolis and gets Downs plus a 2027 seventh-rounder, according to NBC Sports. Downs had asked to be moved. He has 33 catches for 354 yards and a touchdown this season. A 2023 third-round pick, he has 231 career receptions for 2,494 yards and 12 scores in 56 games. NBC Sports also points out that the Chiefs have already had their bye and the Colts have not, so Downs could end up playing 18 games this season.

The need was obvious. ESPN's trade report noted that Tyquan Thornton needed surgery on a dislocated left ankle and that Xavier Worthy left late in the win over the Jets with a left hamstring injury. In that same game, Mahomes averaged 2.8 air yards per attempt, the second-lowest mark of his career, even while throwing for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Downs's 2026 numbers don't show his full value. His catch rate is a career-low 57.9 percent, and he had two bad drops against Dallas on Sunday. Still, he averaged 66 catches and more than 700 yards over his first three seasons, mostly from the slot. Kansas City has seen it firsthand: he caught seven passes for 72 yards against the Chiefs in Week 2.

What it means for Atlanta

The Chiefs travel to Atlanta on Sunday, November 15 (CBS), winners of two of their last three. The 35-12 home win over the Jets ended a two-game road skid, a 20-3 loss at Seattle followed by a 28-24 loss at Denver. Before that came a five-game winning streak that included the 33-30 win over Downs and the Colts. Kansas City has scored 202 points and allowed 143 in eight games. Three of its six wins came by a touchdown or less.

With Worthy's status unclear and Thornton out, Downs could be needed right away in the short and intermediate passing game. The Chiefs leaned on that part of the field against New York even before he arrived.

The board has Kansas City favored across all 11 venues on this site's Chiefs-Falcons odds page. Novig has the Chiefs at -174 on the moneyline and Atlanta at +167. On the spread, Novig lists Kansas City -3.5 at +113. Pinnacle has the best Chiefs price, -3 at -115, so the venues are split between a field goal and a hook more. The best Falcons price is BetRivers at +3.5, -114, a hair better than Novig's -115 at the same number. The total is 45.5 at Novig, with the over at -104 and the under at -102. BetMGM has the best over price, at 45 and -110. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.0 to 5.0 percent across the markets.