Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes didn’t have a good game throwing the football in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers, but he sure wowed with his legs.
On the back of a 33-yard scramble to put the team in scoring range, Mahomes would get a one-yard touchdown scramble on fourth down that ended with a truck stick on 49ers S Malik Mustapha. It was shocking because Mustapha laid the wood on Chiefs players all afternoon, including big hits on RB Kareem Hunt and WR Xavier Worthy.
Asked to evaluate Mahomes’ ability as a runner, Hunt gave his starting QB props for being a playmaker through the air and on the ground.
“He’s good at making people miss in space,” Hunt said. “And, you know, he’s just a playmaker. Whenever the ball’s in his hand, he can make the plays with his arm or his legs.”
Asked whether he had a good view of Mahomes’ one-yard touchdown run, Hunt reacted appropriately.
“Oh, that’s, yeah,” Hunt said with a grin. “Pat’s bigger than people think now. He dropped the shoulder on him. I like that.”
Hunt isn’t the only one. Even the defense had to show Mahomes love afterward. Drue Tranquill emphasized that it reflects just how tough this particular team is.
“Pat’s got the sauce, man,” Tranquill told KC Star reporter Jesse Newell. “That cat had two or three big hits, their safety, No. 6. He’s a dawg, and then Pat runs him over. I think it just speaks to the toughness of our team.”
He also had the following quip: “Maybe people underestimate what’s under that Dad Bod.”
As for Chiefs HC Andy Reid, he was asked to react to the play in his press conference following the game. He’d probably rather not see his star quarterback welcome contact like that. However, if there was an instance where it worked in K.C.’s favor, it’s this one.
“He caught him just right,” Reid said. “That guy’s a good, good player and a good hitter. So Pat (Mahomes) was able to drop his shoulder on him and get in the end zone. He wasn’t thinking it was going to be like that, but he caught him off balance a little bit, and that happened.”
