KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs offense dug deep in their playbook Monday night with a series of trick plays and misdirection, all capped off with a 2-yard touchdown pass to left tackle Eric Fisher in the team’s 34-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Head coach Andy Reid said the Chiefs installed the play during training camp, and “there’s nothing like Monday Night Football” to resort to a bit of chicanery.
“Fish, he’s always bragging about how good his hands are,” Reid said. “He did a pretty good job with it, I got to give him credit on that. I was a little nervous when he had to jump. He did a nice job.”
The Chiefs offensive linemen ran through a pass-catching drill during every “Fast Friday” practice, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he tested Fisher to make sure he could make a tough catch.
“There was one time I threw it high just to see how much range he had because most times he was wide open, I could throw it right to his chest,” Mahomes said.
ESPN noted that Fisher, the No. 1 overall selection in 2013, is the first No. 1 overall draft pick to catch a touchdown pass in an NFL game since Keyshawn Johnson, the No. 1 overall choice in 1996.
“I’m sure he’ll be talking about it for years to come, so I’m glad he got in the end zone,” Mahomes said.
Injury report
The injuries for the Chiefs started before Monday night’s game even began when right guard Andrew Wylie was rushed to the hospital with a severe stomach illness, initially suspected as appendicitis. Wylie cleared all tests, however, and returned to the stadium before the end of the game to rejoin the club for the trip back to Kansas City.
“They hurried him to the hospital and did some tests on him,” Reid said. “Things worked out OK, but he’s not feeling very well.”
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed left the game late in the second quarter after going to the ground hard attempting to intercept an errant pass from Lamar Jackson. The Chiefs ruled Sneed out for the remainder of the game with what the club termed a collarbone injury.
“Sneed hurt his right shoulder, he will have some more things done on that tomorrow just to see exactly what needs to happen there,” Reid said.
Reid also reported defensive tackle Chris Jones tweaked his groin on the final defensive stand of the game. “We’ll just see how it works out for him,” Reid said.
Ballyhoo for Bieniemy
The Chiefs offensive prowess on Monday night meant plenty of praise to go around, and Reid reserved plenty for offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
“He’s my right-hand man there,” Reid said. “He’s fully in charge and has a great feel for everything we do.”
Reid fully expected to lose Bieniemy during the offseason as a head coach to another franchise. While he says he’s selfishly pleased to have him back this season, he doesn’t expect teams to pass on Bieniemy next offseason.
“I know he’s not going to be here very long, but I’m going to enjoy every minute I have a chance to spend with him,” Reid said.
1, 2, 3, 4
The last time Chiefs fans saw Mahomes counting on his fingers, he was counting to 10 against the Chicago Bears. The Bears bypassed Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft, selecting Mitch Trubisky while the Chiefs nabbed their quarterback with the No. 10 pick.
Cameras caught Mahomes counting to four on Monday night after the touchdown pass to Fisher. That prompted the question: Was Mahomes counting to four because he was ranked the No. 4 player in the NFL Top 100 while Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson was No. 1?
Mahomes made his case – unconvincingly – that was not the reason.
“Uh, I think I threw four touchdowns in the game I think at that point,” Mahomes said with a sly grin.
By the Numbers
- Mahomes passed another milestone in reaching 10,000 career passing yards in just 34 games. That eclipses the previous fastest trip to 10,000 passing yards, 36 games by Kurt Warner.
- Kansas City won its 12th-consecutive game including the postseason Monday night, eclipsing the franchise-record of 11-straight set by the 2015 club. The 12-game winning streak is tied for the 19th-longest streak in NFL history. The league record is 21-straight victories by the 2003-04 New England Patriots.
- The team’s nine-game regular season win streak is tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history. The 2015-16 Chiefs won 11-straight games. The Chiefs also owned nine-game win stretches in 2003, 2013 and 2017-18.
- Five different Chiefs receivers caught passes totalling more than 60 yards against the Ravens, led by Travis Kelce with 87. Mecole Hardman (81), Tyreek Hill (77), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (70) and Sammy Watkins (62) also topped that mark.
- Edwards-Helaire has 342 yards from scrimmage this season, ranking No. 7 in the league.
- Patrick Mahomes remains nearly flawless in September, moving to 10-0 in his career in the first month of the season with 3,304 passing yards, 32 touchdown and zero interceptions.
What’s next?
The Chiefs return to Kansas City for a quick rest on Tuesday before getting back to practice on Wednesday to prepare for the New England Patriots. Kickoff off Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium is 3:25 p.m. central time.
