Andy Reid’s stubbornness on quarterback sneaks keeps biting the Chiefs
The Chiefs have been carrying around a short-yardage problem for years, and it showed up again in Denver on Sunday. It’s the kind of issue that keeps resurfacing because the solution is sitting right in front of them, and yet Kansas City keeps choosing something else.
That trail goes back to Oct. 17, 2019, when the 4-2 Chiefs met the 2-4 Broncos at the same stadium where they later coughed up an 11-point fourth-quarter lead. In that Thursday night game, with 10 minutes left in the second quarter and Kansas City up 10-6, Patrick Mahomes took a quarterback sneak for a two-yard gain to keep the drive alive.
On that play, Mahomes suffered a dislocated kneecap and had to leave Mile High Field with help from team trainers. The fear that night was obvious: the Chiefs’ 24-year-old reigning MVP might be gone for the season.
He wasn’t, missing only two full games as Kansas City went on to win the first of its three Super Bowls in this era. But that moment changed how the Chiefs handle short-yardage football, and it still echoes now.
The issue is simple enough. Quarterback sneaks are about as close to automatic as football gets.
Warren Sharp of Sharp Analytics has the league-average conversion rate at 84%, which means roughly eight out of 10 sneak attempts work. On third and fourth downs with one to two yards to go, most teams line their quarterback up under center and let him fall forward for the first down or touchdown.
The Chiefs, though, have made a habit of avoiding that obvious answer. Andy Reid’s reluctance to call quarterback sneaks seems rooted in that 2019 injury, but it has led to a string of unnecessarily complicated short-yardage calls.
There have been the Blake Bell debacle in the 2023 season opener against the Lions, the hard-to-watch shotgun runs, and the occasional rollout pass. Kansas City has repeatedly made a simple situation harder than it needs to be.
And it doesn’t even have to be Mahomes taking the hit. The quarterback doesn’t have to be the one sneaking the ball.
Teams around the league have used bigger skill players to handle those snaps, especially tight ends. The Steelers do it with Pat Freiermuth instead of Aaron Rodgers.
The Seahawks use tight end AJ Barner in a short-yardage package they call “The Barnyard,” while Sam Darnold watches from behind.
If Reid is worried about Mahomes getting hurt again, there are other options. Justin Fields is on the roster and stands 6-foot-3, 227 pounds.
Noah Gray could do it if Reid wants to keep Travis Kelce away from that role. Hunter Nourzad and Khyris Tonga have also been used when the Chiefs have faced short-yardage situations on possession downs.
Still, Kansas City keeps refusing to use the most reliable play in football, and that’s why the criticism keeps coming back.
Sunday’s final drive in Denver put the problem under a microscope. The Chiefs reached the Broncos’ one-yard line needing a touchdown to win and leave Denver with a 6-1 record. Even with Harrison Butker missing another field goal and the defense failing to get pressure on Bo Nix, Kansas City had a chance to steal a huge divisional win in one of the league’s toughest environments.
Instead of sneaking it in on second down, Reid called “Tom and Jerry,” designed for Xavier Worthy. Mahomes was in the shotgun, with Andrew Armstrong and Jalen Royals on the field. The Broncos weren’t fooled, and the play failed.
On third down, Reid handed it to Kenneth Walker III, and the run was stuffed. That call at least made sense on paper, but even there, a sneak probably offered a better chance to get the yard. A standard handoff from the goal line gives the defense more time to penetrate, while a quarterback sneak gets the ball moving immediately.
Then came the Jaylon Moore false start, which pushed the Chiefs back to the six-yard line and turned the next snap into a clear passing situation. If Moore doesn’t jump, the whole ending looks different.
Rashee Rice caught Mahomes’ fourth-down pass in the end zone for what would have been the game-winning touchdown. Instead of a road win and a clean escape, the Chiefs were left with another reminder that they keep overcomplicating the easiest short-yardage answer in football.
For Kansas City, the lesson is staring them in the face. When it’s third or fourth down and a yard to go, there’s no need to get cute. Just sneak the ball and move the chains.
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