Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes credited wide receiver Marques Valdez-Scantling for coming up with a play to keep the team’s overtime drive alive in Super Bowl LVIII.

Facing a key fourth-down that KC had to convert in order to stay in the game, Mahomes was able to rush for eight yards to get a first down to keep going.

As for how he arrived on that play, Mahomes told ‘The Peter King Podcast’ that during a timeout, the receiver known as MVS suggested a setup that could make the QB mobile if he needed to run.

‘Yeah, I wish I could take all the credit, but it was kind of crazy,’ Mahomes said. ‘So, we were going through our plays, we were trying to decide if we were going to run or pass, and we had a couple of run plays kind of dialed up.

‘We had already had a lot of short-yardage situations in the game and we were trying to find that perfect play.

 

Patrick Mahomes credited Marquez Valdes-Scantling for drawing up a key Super Bowl play

‘MVS’ suggested a pass play that would put Mahomes in motion with the intention of finding either tight end Travis Kelce or wide receiver Rashee Rice for a short gain

Instead, thanks to being in motion, Mahomes was able to scramble for a first down

Thanks to that conversion, the drive stayed alive and Mahomes passed for a game-winning TD

‘So I was thinking of passes because I wanted to pass it, obviously, and have the ball in my hand. It was actually MVS that came up to the huddle on the side and kind of said, ‘Hey, let’s go Slide Keys.’ Which is wild because it’s not really a play designed for him, it’s a play designed for Travis (Kelce) and Rashee (Rice).

‘When he said it, it clicked for me, I was like, ‘That’s it. That’s perfect.’

Mahomes then broke the play down – revealing that his options were a toss to tight end Travis Kelce or to receiver Rashee Rice.

‘It’s kind of a bootleg play, where I fake a run and I get on the perimeter and there’s kind of a throw to Trav as he’s sliding across two guys,’ Mahomes said.

‘I think it was MVS and Rashee going across the middle trying to cause some disturbance, some interference-type stuff, so Trav can outflank (the defenders). I like it because it gave me the option to throw to Travis. It gave me the option to throw it to Rashee. It gave me the option to run.

‘I told coach, ‘Let’s call this.’ That type of play, you want it to be man coverage. I told coach, ‘If it’s not there, I’m going to run for it.’ And so he trusted us to go out there and cover.

It was zone coverage and once I got outside and saw room to run, I just went and got it.’

Mahomes then continued down the field, eventually finding Mecole Hardman for a touchdown to win a fourth Super Bowl title for Kansas City.