This was a play I was most fortunate to be able to watch first hand on a day that all of Chiefs’ Kingdom will remember forever. January 19th, 2020 was the day that many in the kingdom never thought they would see. For the first time in 50 years, the Kansas City Chiefs would head back to the Super Bowl. It wouldn’t be easy as the red hot Tennessee Titans would battle them all the way. Twice the Titans would hold ten point leads. Toward the end of the first half, the Chiefs were looking to take back the momentum and the lead. With time winding down and the Chiefs down by four, Patrick Mahomes took matters into his own hands.
The Titans brought soft pressure all day while mixing up coverage down the field. They bring a wide rusher off the left who is picked up nicely by Fisher and stunt both DL on the right side while dropping a spy on Mahomes. The Titans wanted to have as many men cover down field while spying Mahomes. They had seen Mahomes torch the Houston Texans while being able to throw out of the pocket.
The Chief OL does a good job to hold up. However, as seen in the clip below, everyone is covered downfield, with double teams on Hill and Kelce. Mahomes sees this and, as Eric Fisher handles the wide rusher, Mahomes looks to the left and starts to scramble. He outruns the defensive tackle who has to run across the line. But watch how Mahomes’ eyes never leave from down the field. The only person he has to beat is the spy. With his back turned, the spy can’t see what is happening behind him and Mahomes knows this. He gives a little head fake, freezing him and then gets by.
Mahomes tight ropes the sideline. With one timeout, many expected him to step out Of bounds, setting the Chiefs up for a few goal line plays. Instead, he follows blocks from Demarcus Robinson and Sammy Watkins, breaks another tackle and scores one of the most miraculous touchdowns in NFL history.
As someone who was at the game when this happened, most like me could not comprehend what they had just seen. A moment that will not only live in Chiefs history but NFL history for the rest of time. Taking the lead and all the momentum into the locker room, there was no doubt in any fan’s mind that the Chiefs were going to win the game. Years of frustration and disappointment were nearly over. MVP chants filled the stadium. The best player in the world had shown us yet again what made him special.
