Mahomes and the Chiefs have gotten creative.
PublishedOctober 19, 2025 3:00 PM EDT•UpdatedOctober 19, 2025 2:39 PM EDT
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Teams have to be innovative in fourth-and-short situations in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles have cracked the code with their virtually unstoppable tush push play, but the other 31 teams around the league have to dial new things up week after week, and the Kansas City Chiefs were successful in doing so during their Week 7 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Facing a fourth-and-one on the first play of the second quarter on their own 40-yard line, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs lined up in a unique set. After barking out a few hard counts looking to draw the Raiders offside to cash in on a free first down, Mahomes was caught on a hot mic complaining about how the play “never fu-king works.”
After the hard counts and his very loud complaint about the play call, everyone, including CBS announcers Jim Nantz and Tony Romo, expected Kansas City to call a timeout. Instead, Mahomes got back under center and handed the ball off to running back Kareem Hunt, who got the line to gain with ease.
After the bold play and picking up the first down, Mahomes and the Chiefs went on to dominate the Raiders through the first half, taking a 21-0 lead into the break.
At this point, it feels like this is an entirely different Chiefs team than the one that began the regular season with back-to-back losses. While Kansas City still has plenty of work to do alongside its 3-3 record, the team is starting to look like its old self, the one that has dominated the AFC over the last half-decade.
