Mahomes Shenanigans Plays Right Into Chiefs’ Identity This Season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Meghan Trainor, you deserve an Oscar for your supporting role. But the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role goes to …

Patrick Mahomes.

And Best Director, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

“I think it comes from my State Farm commercials,” Mahomes quipped after Sunday’s 31-0 win over the Raiders. “I’m joking. Nags actually came up with the idea. We had talked about doing the hard count and trying to draw the teams offsides. I can’t remember who I watched do it a couple years ago and they had said that.”

jake from state far — Sep 25, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Jake from State Farm actor Kevin Mile in attendance of the Arizona Cardinals game against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

What he said isn’t exactly family friendly, but on the initial snap of the second quarter – fourth-and-1 from Kansas City’s 40-yard line -- it caught the Raiders off guard. The acting job worked perfectly, fooling the Raiders into thinking the Chiefs were simply trying to draw them offsides.

And after Brashard Smith and Noah Gray danced around in the backfield, Kareem Hunt took the handoff.

Patrick Mahomes: "It focking never focking works, man." 🤣 #NFL pic.twitter.com/grc3LKBpRf
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) October 19, 2025

Turning point in game

Creed Humphrey and Kingsley Suamataia crushed defensive tackle Leki Fotu at the point of attack. Jonah Laulu got a free release and over-pursued into the backfield. And Travis Kelce kicked out Charles Snowden. First down, Chiefs.

And 10 plays later, Mahomes hit Hollywood Brown for an 8-yard touchdown to give Kansas City a 14-0 advantage. No wonder the Chiefs kept talking so much about practice this last week.

“I don’t want to get too far into the weeds but there’s stuff that we do, everybody is on the same page, and we know when we’re acting and when we’re not acting and all the different type of stuff and plays off it. That’s just kind of what you have to do in order to be a step ahead in this league.”

patrick mahome — Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) looks to pass under pressure from Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jamal Adams (33) during the second quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Chiefs seemed light years ahead on Sunday, pitching their first shutout in 14 years, since Oct. 23, 2011, at the Oakland Coliseum in a 28-0 triumph over the Raiders. Reid picked up only his second shutout in 472 games as an NFL head coach, including postseason (a 30-0 win at Houston in the 2015 wild-card playoffs).

They're human

And while Mahomes gets the Oscar for the fourth-down verbal rouse, he dinged himself for an easy touchdown on another razzle-dazzle play later on that drive.

In something out of Curly Lambeau’s 100-year-old playbook, on first-and-goal from the Raiders’ 3-yard line, Gardner Minshew entered the game. The backup QB lined up in a shotgun but with his hand on the ground in a three-point stance. Mahomes mirrored him as a running back off to the left. And the wingback was the Chiefs’ King for a Day, Rashee Rice.

“We had talked about through the week if I should do the cadence or if he (Minshew) should do the cadence. And we decided I should. Obviously, we should’ve let him do it because it was going to be a walk-in touchdown. And I wanted to get Gardner a touchdown, man, especially against those guys.”

Those guys, the Raiders, represent Minshew’s former team. And after Mahomes called the signals, Minshew took the snap and pitched forward to Rice in motion to the right. But officials blew the play dead.

Not Included here was the trick play.... Mahomes at offset RB behind FB Kelce, still calling for the snap to Minshew behind an unbalanced OL with Jawaan shifting over to TE with Gray at "RT"

Would have been a nice Minshew TD Pass to Rashee with Kelce/KS/JT Pulling to lead the… https://t.co/bYGciuJdw7 pic.twitter.com/vIkLHrP3IW
— DMac Wake (@DMacWake316) October 20, 2025

Backup right guard Mike Caliendo, who’d entered on that drive after starter Trey Smith injured his back, was flagged for false start.

“Sucks that we didn’t get to make it happen but the creativity by the coaches of putting us in that situation where I’m the distraction and we’re giving the ball underneath. I watched it on film and it looked like it was going to be a walk-in. We’ll be better with the cadence the next time we do it.”

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