Chiefs Try First Quarterback Sneak in 3 Years: Here’s What Happened

November 8, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs attempt their first quarterback sneak in three years against the New York Jets. Find out what happened and why the play matters. Getty

The Kansas City Chiefs, trailing 3-0 at Arrowhead Stadium in the first quarter Sunday, called the play that fans and analysts have demanded for a week, and it ended in disaster.

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The Chiefs’ first quarterback sneak since 2023 ended in a fumble on their own side of the field, recovered by the New York Jets, who quickly turned it into three points.

Chiefs backup quarterback Justin Fields fumbled on the third-down sneak against the Jets in the first quarter Sunday.

With third-and-1 near their own 34-yard line, Kansas City sent Fields in for a straight-ahead sneak. Officials ruled Fields short of the line to gain and down by contact. The Jets challenged, and replay reversed the call to a fumble. Linebacker Demario Davis forced it and recovered it for New York at the Kansas City 34.

Patrick Mahomes Responds to Quarterback Sneak Outcry

The call came one week after Kansas City’s 28-24 loss at Denver, where the Chiefs failed to score from the 1-yard line late in the game. They handed off to Kenneth Walker III on third-and-goal, then took a sack after a penalty. Patrick Mahomes did not audible to a sneak.

Former Chiefs offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz called the ending an “absolute embarrassment,” according to The Kansas City Star. Analysts and fans cited a league-wide sneak success rate near 75% this season, while Kansas City had converted only 20 of 34 chances needing two yards or fewer on third or fourth down entering Sunday.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. … It’s not like I’m scared to go out there and put my body on the line,” Mahomes said Wednesday, according to NFL.com.

Mahomes added that the Chiefs have had sneak checks available without using them, and that short-yardage execution has been an issue this season.

“If I do call my own number, it’s got to work,” he said.

Mahomes’ last QB sneak came in Week 7 of 2019 at Denver. He converted a fourth-and-1 inside the 5-yard line but dislocated his right kneecap on the play and missed the next two games. Kansas City has been the only NFL team without a sneak by its starting quarterback since.

Andy Reid had no regrets about the call, describing the injury as a “freak thing,” according to Pro Football Talk.

The Chiefs’ most recent sneak of any kind came in Week 6 of 2023, when tight end Noah Gray gained 1 yard on a fake field goal on fourth-and-2 against the Broncos.

Why the Kansas City Chiefs Called a Justin Fields Sneak

Since the 2019 injury, Reid has favored alternatives or tight end sneaks over risking Mahomes. Asked this week about short-yardage trouble, he joked that a sneak would be “our first call” Sunday. He delivered the line with a blank expression and offered no real sign of a change.

On using Fields, Reid said, “We could, yeah. We’ll see.”

Earlier in the week, Reid said the team had been “pretty successful without sneaking” during the Mahomes era.

Fields, who joined the Chiefs in a March trade, converted seven of eight sneaks for the Jets in 2025. Some analysts and fans had suggested Fields as the designated sneak specialist after the Denver loss, citing his athleticism and track record. Sunday’s attempt came against his former team.

Fans noted the substitution right away, pointing out that sending in the backup instead of Mahomes signaled a short-yardage play to New York’s defense. Others complained that Kansas City tried a sneak only after declining one at Denver.

The turnover left the Jets with the ball at the Kansas City 34-yard line, with the game still in the first quarter. The Jets went on to kick a successful field goal on the drive.