Patrick Mahomes seems to be taking his previous experiences against the Denver Broncos as a learning lesson. Back in 2019, the quarterback faced the division rival in Week 7 as the Kansas City Chiefs cruised to a 30-6 victory. But Mahomes failed to finish the game after suffering an injury on a quarterback sneak. On 4th-and-1 from Denver’s 5-yard line, Mahomes picked up the first down, but as the pile cleared, he couldn’t get back to his feet.

Subsequent reports confirmed that Mahomes had dislocated his right kneecap (patella), forcing the Chiefs to rule him out for a couple of games. Of course, he eventually returned to lead the Chiefs to a Super Bowl that same season. But perhaps more importantly, Mahomes seemingly decided he was done with quarterback sneaks.

Since then, Mahomes hasn’t attempted another QB sneak. But after the Chiefs’ 28-24 loss to the Broncos in Week 8, their second loss of the season, the quarterback appears willing to do whatever it takes to prevent another defeat heading into their Week 9 matchup against the New York Jets. And yes, that could even include the very same quarterback sneak that injured him years ago.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ll just put it this way,” Mahomes told the reporters, sharing his thoughts on quarterback sneak. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. At the end of the day, quarterback sneak, whatever that is, I’ll do whatever it takes. It’s not like I’m scared to go out there and put my body on the line. That’s kind of how I played. And it’s gotten me in trouble sometimes, and then sometimes it’s helped the team. And so that’s the stuff that we’ll continue to evaluate. We’ll continue to work on to make ourselves better for future references.”

The Chiefs enter Week 9 at 5-2 after losing consecutive games to Seattle and Denver, seeking to avoid a third straight defeat. That’s why Mahomes is eager to win the next game. What’s worth noting, however, was that Mahomes led Kansas City to 24-13 up early in the fourth quarter. For context, Kansas City was 80-2 in matchups when they entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead or more with Mahomes under center.

However, the Chiefs allowed Bo Nix and his unit to cut the deficit with a touchdown pass to Nate Adkins, followed by another touchdown through rookie running back Jonah Coleman.

Ultimately, Denver took a 28-24 lead with less than two minutes remaining. Mahomes, meanwhile, had an opportunity to win. The Chiefs had 1st-and-goal at Denver 4 with 35 seconds left in regulation. Running back Kenneth Walker III ran for 3 yards, putting the ball at the 1-yard line. Mahomes could have run a quarterback sneak to seal the game.

However, on 2nd-and-goal, Mahomes dropped back and threw an incomplete pass. On the subsequent play, Walker was stuffed for no gain. On 4th-and-goal, Kansas City had a false start, moving them to the 6, and Mahomes was then sacked, as the Broncos won 28-24. Certainly, the narratives started surfacing about whether Patrick Mahomes could have run a QB sneak there.

However, the Chiefs certainly don’t want their starting quarterback to get injured. The team had a rough 2025 season that also included Mahomes suffering a season-ending knee injury. Subsequently, the Chiefs were skeptical throughout the 2026 offseason about whether Mahomes would return to play this season. And now that he’s healthy, Kansas City seems to be cautious about its quarterback’s health.

However, when reporters asked whether he had discussed running a QB sneak with head coach Andy Reid over the years, especially since he hasn’t attempted one since suffering an injury in 2019, Mahomes acknowledged that while the Chiefs have the play in their offensive playbook, they simply didn’t call it against the Broncos.

“There’s been quarterback sneaks in games that we’ve put in that we will alert and change at the line of scrimmage if they get in those tight fronts,” Mahomes added. “Obviously, that wasn’t the play in that situation of the game, but it’s not like we’re scared to call the quarterback sneak. It’s just something that we haven’t done. We’ve been able to execute with other things. So, I don’t think Coach Reid’s put that on me.

“But at the end of the day, if we can execute with the other things, I’m sure we’ll have to make changes and that’s something that Coach Reid’s not afraid to do, is make changes whenever needed. So, we’ll see where that goes moving forward.”

But it’s worth noting that the Chiefs’ failure to run a QB sneak wasn’t the reason they are 0-2 over the last two weeks. While the offense failed to finish the game against the Broncos despite sustaining several drives, it also struggled a week earlier against the Seattle Seahawks.

Against Seattle, Mahomes completed 19-of-33 passes for 165 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. But it’s the unwanted records Mahomes had that drew significant criticism. For starters, Kansas City failed to reach the red zone for the first time in Mahomes’ 153 games as a starter, including postseason.

Their 213 net yards and 11 first downs were the lowest in a regular-season game with Mahomes as the QB1, while the team tied for the fewest points (3) they scored in a game with him under center.

While Walker has been efficient throughout the season, the former Seahawks RB could rush for only 36 yards. Certainly, the Seahawks’ defense exposed the Chiefs’ offense despite the team coming off a 5-0 start to the season.

And it’s not hard to understand why the offense failed to put up numbers. For broader context, the Chiefs currently have a wide receiver problem. They entered the season with Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Tyquan Thornton to lead the WR corps. Thornton has been sidelined for multiple weeks due to injury. Rice is struggling to be available due to injuries. And Worthy’s production isn’t impressive.

That’s why Kansas City’s receiving corps has produced just 46% of the total receiving yards, forcing Patrick Mahomes to rely on tight end Travis Kelce, who has caught 29 passes for 410 yards and two touchdowns. So amid the major struggles on offense, a below-par performance from the receiving corps, and back-to-back losses, Mahomes is ready to do whatever he can to win against the Jets, including running a quarterback sneak.

And if the Chiefs want to remain cautious about his health, they can also try Justin Fields to run a QB sneak, as he was successful in seven sneak attempts while playing for the New York Jets last season.