Imagine making the longest run of your NFL career, only for people to call you out for exploiting the rules of the game. Well, that’s precisely what happened as the Chiefs took on the 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch in the Bay Area, and Patrick Mahomes completed a 33-yard run to set up a touchdown. But did he pretend to scamper out of bounds? Or did he just use his “quarterback-ness” to his advantage…

For the Chiefs, the week was a showdown. While the Niners wanted revenge, the team led by Patrick Mahomes didn’t allow them to. The first half was tough for Kansas City, as they trailed the rivals 0-3. But they turned the game around and took a comfortable 14-3 lead by halftime. They eventually won 28-18. It looked more like a harrowing loss for the 49ers. Once the MVP quarterback got going, he fooled the defenders at will.

While fans accuse him of faking the out-of-bound runs, the Chiefs Kingdom believes that wasn’t the case. But let’s set up the scene first, shall we?

The Chiefs may have led 14-3 going into halftime, but the 49ers came out swinging in the third quarter. With one minute left to play in the quarter, Patrick Mahomes & Co. led 14-12, and it was the quarterback’s play on 2nd and 7 that garnered quite a lot of attention (and criticism). He grabbed the ball and moved forward but couldn’t find anyone to pass to. With linebacker Fred Warner coming in hot his way, Mahomes avoided the tackle with a pump fake and accelerated toward the sideline. That was the point of contention.

As the Chiefs’ signal-caller approached the first-down marker, 49ers linebacker Dee Winters was there to stop him. But he hesitated. Upon seeing Mahomes move toward the sidelines, it looked like Winters chose not to block him, presumably thinking the quarterback would run out of bounds. But Mahomes cut across him and moved forward. Some viewers claimed that he abused the NFL’s rule and called his behavior unsportsmanlike, but some haven’t. And Mahomes defended himself, too.

“I don’t believe, on that play, I was really showing like I was going out of bounds,” Mahomes said. “I don’t want to ever put a defender in a bad spot. When I go out of bounds, I’m going out of bounds. I’m not trying to fake a guy by using use a loophole in the rule.” While there isn’t a specific rule in the NFL that explicitly states that tackling on the sidelines isn’t allowed, tackling someone who is clearly out of bounds is considered a penalty under the “palpably unfair act” rule.

And when it comes to quarterbacks, considering they’re usually protected on the sidelines, the defensive line of the opposing team is usually overly cautious. This was exactly what Colts legend Dwight Freeney pointed to during his appearance on the Up & Adams Show. He said, “This is 100% a product of a couple of things. One, you can’t touch quarterbacks. Everybody is scared to hit quarterbacks.” Freeney also opined what Dee Winters was thinking at the time.

“They are probably thinking, ‘Hey, you know what? He’s gonna run out of bounds. We don’t want to get a penalty. Let me just tip-toe over there, and he’s gonna run out of bounds.’ And Patrick took advantage of the soft rules they have for the quarterbacks.” Considering all the attention this play garnered, many are demanding a change in the rule. Will the NFL do it? It remains to be seen.

In the meantime, though, Mahomes’ teammate Travis Kelce came to his defense while highlighting a crucial moment in that 33-yard run.

Travis Kelce believes Patrick Mahomes wouldn’t trick a player

In the post-49ers game episode on the New Heights podcast, Jason Kelce brought up Mahomes’ controversial play. “If we’re being honest, he used his quarterback-ness to his advantage…” Even before the former Eagles center could finish his sentence, the Chiefs tight end jumped in to defend his quarterback.

“Man, get out of here,” Travis told his brother. Making his case, the younger Kelce continued, “Kareem [Hunt] pushes the guy (Winters) out of bounds. Kareem sees 53, pushes him, and he loses balance. Then, [Hunt] gets in the way of 90 (Kevin Givens)… Some quarterbacks definitely take advantage of that. I think Pat has been pretty solid with if he’s getting out of bounds, he’s doing it because he can’t get any more yards with his legs.

“He’s not gonna try and trick a guy of going out of bounds…” Travis concluded. As for Patrick Mahomes, his actions reinforced the Chiefs’ mentality this season. Anything for a win! After the challenging win against the 49ers, the quarterback said, “We’re going to find a way to win.” That’s why the Chiefs used unconventional approaches. During the second quarter of the Week 7 game, the Chiefs brought their second quarterback, Carson Wentz, to the field, which left the 49ers confused.

In earlier games also, Patrick Mahomes knew that rivals would use maximum manpower to cover the veteran tight end Travis Kelce. Hence, they used him to distract the attention while using (comparatively) lesser experienced players like Kareem Hunt and Rashee Rice to score touchdowns and win the games.

This season is historic for the Chiefs Kingdom. And the team is making moves. After 7 weeks, they are the only undefeated team. This is a first for Patrick Mahomes as well. He has never led them to an undefeated record in the first six games before. Can they cross the finish line? A three-peat of Super Bowl. Only time will tell.