‘Do it, Kels!’: How Patrick Mahomes’ audible forced overtime in Chiefs win over Bills

Patrick Mahomes adjusted his wristband, started left, then looked right, as if trying to make his words subtle.

The Chiefs had 8 seconds left in regulation — down three to the Buffalo Bills and way out of field-goal range — when Mahomes called one of the most significant audibles of his life.

And this one wasn’t a play call at all.

“Do it, Kels!” Mahomes yelled. “Do it! Do it, Kels!”

Go back to the replay and hear it for yourself. CBS’ microphones pick up Mahomes’ words clearly in KC’s dramatic 42-36 overtime AFC Divisional Round playoff victory against Buffalo, as he instructed his tight end Travis Kelce to do something completely crazy on the biggest play of the season.

He gave him permission to freelance and not run the route he was supposed to.

In 2020, the Chiefs play of lore was “WASP,” with Mahomes famously asking offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy on the sideline whether the team had time to run it before a critical third-and-15 play in Super Bowl 54. The team did — with Mahomes completing it for 44 yards to Tyreek Hill — before eventually defeating the San Francisco 49ers that day.

This season, if the Chiefs accomplish the same, this play seems destined for its own T-shirts.

Though it’ll be a lot harder to name because Kelce’s route doesn’t exactly exist.

Let’s reset the situation: On Sunday night, Kansas City trailed Buffalo 36-33 with 8 seconds left and the ball on its own 44-yard line. The Chiefs needed about 20 yards for a desperate game-tying field-goal attempt from Harrison Butker, and even more for one that had any realistic chance of going through.

ESPN’s win probability chart — at that moment — gave the Bills a 91% chance of winning the game.

Something interesting happened as Kelce lined up, though. He noticed the defense ahead of him was backing off, so he could get a running start. It also took away the sideline throws, which left most of the middle open.

That information wasn’t going to help him much ... until Buffalo used a timeout to make sure it was set defensively. It was then that Kelce went over to Mahomes and told him about what he saw.

“We got a look at what the defense was doing,” Mahomes said. “And he actually said, ‘Hey, if they do it again, I’m gonna take it right down the middle between both the guys guarding me.’”

Sure enough, when Kelce went out there after the stoppage, he noticed the same coverage. No one in front of him. The middle wide open.

Analyst Tony Romo predicted Kelce might run a slant to get free on the CBS broadcast. Perhaps that was the exact call.

But with only one play left to get in field-goal range, the thought had to be running through Kelce’s mind. Was he really going to go off script and do his own thing here ... in front of the whole world?

That was when the words of reassurance came. When Kelce lined up as the only eligible receiver to the left, he heard Mahomes give him all the certainty he’d need.

“Do it, Kels! Do it! Do it, Kels!”

“I was like, ‘Aight, here we go, boys,’” Kelce said afterward with a smile.

Oh and another thing. Replays show Kelce and Mahomes probably wouldn’t have had time for Kelce’s originally called route if it had any wiggle at all.

That’s because KC’s offensive line — though solid all night — appeared to have a breakdown.

Buffalo defensive end Jerry Hughes split Chiefs linemen Trey Smith and Andrew Wylie on the right side. He made his way unimpeded to Mahomes as part of a four-man rush, with KC’s quarterback pumping once before sensing the pressure.

Less than a half-second after the pass was released, Hughes slapped the “5” on the back of Mahomes’ 15 jersey, coming within an instant of making a season-changing play.

There was a reason Mahomes could fire so quickly, though. Kelce had delivered on his promise. He’d run straight upfield.

While completely ignoring the route he was designed to run.

“It was kind of a thing where he wasn’t necessarily supposed to do that,” Mahomes said with a grin. “But after the timeout, he went up the field, I gave him the ball, and we got in field-goal range.”

The rest is history. Kelce cradled the pass in the seam, squeezing through two defenders to gain 25 yards to the Bills’ 31 before the Chiefs called timeout with 3 seconds left.

Butker followed with a game-tying 49-yard field goal, and Kelce would later win it in overtime with an eight-yard touchdown reception.

The most important of the bunch, though, was the “Kelce Do It” play — a moment that single-handedly moved KC’s odds of winning from 9% to 34% according to ESPN’s calculations while giving the Chiefs hope in their most desperate moment of the season.

It happened because of teammate faith in each other and encouraging words at the perfect moment.

After the pass, CBS’ cameras show Mahomes pointing directly to Kelce to acknowledge what he’d done. In return, Kelce nodded back.

“It was just a little backyard football with a couple of seconds left,” Kelce said, “that gave us an opportunity to take the game into overtime.”