October 17, 2019.
That was the last time Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took a snap from under center and ran one of football’s most traditional plays: the QB sneak.
After Mahomes converted the fourth-and-1 inside the Denver Broncos’ five-yard line, he stayed down on the field with a dislocated kneecap. The injury that forced the Chiefs’ third-year superstar quarterback to miss the next two games looked much worse at first glance.
Since then, Kansas City has gotten creative in short-yardage
situations — even using tight ends to take the snap from under center — but Mahomes himself has not run the sneak.
After excelling in those situations by handing off to former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt last season, Kansas City’s effectiveness converting short-yardage downs has dwindled in 2026. Mahomes reflected on the drop-off during his press conference on Wednesday.
“It’s something that we’ve been better at in the past years, but obviously this year, we haven’t been able to execute in those situations,” Mahomes acknowledged. “It always comes down to one guy here or there and just not being on the same page. I think that’s something that we have to continue to be more and more physical.”
On the final drive against the Denver Broncos, a third-and-goal play from the one-yard line seemingly presented an opportunity for Mahomes to tuck the ball and get behind right guard Trey Smith in the A-gap. Instead, the called play in the huddle was run, a handoff that was blown up in the backfield.
“The play call is what we called, and we want to execute that play,” Mahomes said on Wednesday. “They were able to stunt and kind of get people in position where Kenneth wasn’t able to get going downhill and score a touchdown.”
Of course, the Chiefs couldn’t finish the drive, and the question of a sneak became a hot topic in the wake of the loss in Chiefs Kingdom.
On Monday, head coach Andy Reid told local media that the team has been “pretty successful without sneaking” during this golden era of Chiefs football. It was a polarizing comment, but it’s not a definitive statement about whether the team will run one.
If it were up to the quarterback, any play-call is possible.
“I’m going to do whatever it takes to win,” Mahomes said. “It’s not like I’m scared to go out there and put my body on the line, that’s kind of how I’ve played. It’s kind of gotten me in trouble sometimes, and then there are sometimes it has helped the team.”
The two-time MVP should be trusted at the line of scrimmage to audible, but he knows it has to be the right time.
“If I do call my own number, it’s got to work,” Mahomes said with a smile.
He didn’t call his own number at the goal line in Denver, but he cited the play call as the reason. In similar situations, Kansas City may be more prepared for Mahomes to take it himself.
“There have been quarterback sneaks in games that we have put in,” Mahomes shared. “We will alert and change at the line of scrimmage if they get in those Tite fronts. Obviously, that wasn’t the play in that situation of the game, but it’s not like we’re scared to call the quarterback sneak. It’s just something that we haven’t done; we’ve been able to execute with other things.”
“So I don’t think coach Reid has put that on me,” Mahomes clarified. “But at the end of the day, if we can’t execute with the other things, I’m sure we’re going to have to make changes, and that’s something coach Reid is not afraid to do is make changes whenever needed.”
