The tricks don’t always come off — who could forget this interception against Washington last year — but when it comes to making something out of nothing in the blink of an eye, few players compare to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
He throws. He runs. He flips shuffle passes through onrushing defensive linemen, and Chiefs fans’ legs turn to limp noodles until the ball finds a target. Mahomes might just be the NFL’s best player. He’s certainly among its most entertaining.
Mahomes’ wizardry in and out of the pocket has shaped so much of his early-career success. It has provided a base for coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to expand the playbook. Mahomes and his teammates have carte blanche on some plays to keep defenses on their toes.
The payoff has been huge. Despite losing Tyreek Hill in the offseason, the Chiefs’ offense has averaged 31.8 points per game, most in the NFL, and 381.4 yards per game, sixth-most in the league, through its first five games this season.
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Here’s how Mahomes’ trickery, coupled with inventive play-calling from Reid and Bieniemy, breaks down even the stoutest of defenses.
Patrick Mahomes’ underhand passes
Mahomes has multiple tools as a passer, starting with his powerful arm and his footwork in the open field. He always seems to be in control of the situation.
He has added a wrinkle to his game in recent years: the underhand, no-look pass. Mahomes has developed a penchant for making deceptive tosses near the goal line.
The rollout to the right, followed by a flicked pass to an open target, has become a large part of Kansas City’s playbook. Per Bieniemy, the no-look element of the play was all Mahomes’ doing.
Mahomes the maverick. Sure has a nice ring to it.
His latest death-defying act was perhaps his most daring, During KC’s Week 4 win over the Bucs, Mahomes rolled out to the right, spun past a would-be tackler and somehow floated a pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the end zone.
It was perhaps the most acrobatic play of Mahomes’ career. It led tight end Travis Kelce to give Mahomes a new moniker, one that seemed to reflect all the tricks and gadgets Mahomes has under his sleeve.
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What are some of the Chiefs’ trick plays?
Mahomes isn’t the only one who’s allowed to be creative in Kansas City’s offense. In fact, Bieniemy is perhaps the league’s best when it comes to trick plays.
From reversed sweeps that end with Mahomes throwing darts . . .
. . . to direct snaps to tight ends that result in touchdowns in goal-line situations . . .
. . . the Chiefs have no problem doing the unexpected.
“We try to have fun with it the best we can, and everybody contributes,” Reid said last year when discussing his team’s red-zone playbook. “I’ve got some really good coaches, assistant coaches — you guys know that. I’ve got players that have chipped in on plays. They have a blast with it.
“So I’ve always encouraged that throughout my career and I don’t want to stop because I’m old. I want to keep that going and try to do it a little bit better, so that’s what we do. We try to stay creative and try to have some fun with it.”
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Mahomes had a similar view.
“We’re just trying to be creative; we’re trying to have fun out there, enjoy it day in and day out,” Mahomes told The Kansas City Star last year. “And Coach Reid lets us be creative by putting in plays like that. So obviously we try to execute the basics and the base plays as much as possible, and then when we get our opportunity, we try to execute those trick plays so he’ll call them more often.”
The Chiefs have a real willingness to open up the playbook. It’s a bold strategy, but it keeps opponents — and themselves — on their toes. That flair for the dramatic has played a central role in Kansas City’s offense establishing itself as one of the best in football.
