Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes underthrew his receiver, Mecole Hardman, by about three yards on a deep route Sunday, and so Chargers cornerback Desmond King reached up and plucked the ball out of the sky.
As the Chargers sideline celebrated a game-changing, fourth-quarter turnover, Mahomes remained near the line of scrimmage, tapping his hips over and over again, mimicking a referee's signal.
Offsides.
The flag already rested on the field. Mahomes knew it before he threw the pass. And the interception, which would have been the first September pick of his career, never happened. All because of what he did before the play.
Mahomes possesses one of the elite arms in football, uses probably the game's most unique throwing angles and has one of its most creative minds. But there is one more elite trait, one that dates back to his days as a high school quarterback, long before anyone saw or heard it on their living room big screens.
His voice.
"I have the unique advantage of having a unique voice that's able to get these guys to jump offside," Mahomes said. "So I try to utilize that as much as possible."
There's more to it. For all of his abilities to alter a game with his arm or with his legs, Mahomes has been stealing plays with his voice. With hard counts. With variations to his snap calls.
Set, hut! The ball is snapped.
Set, hut! The ball is snapped.
Set, hut! The Chiefs remain motionless along the line, but Mahomes has shouted the usual cadence with such fervor that a defensive lineman can't help but creep just past the line of scrimmage. And before the defender can inch back, Mahomes unleashes one more "hut" to call for the snap, like pulling the lure just as the fish bites.
Mahomes has himself a free play. A free shot toward the deepest route on the tree. And he rarely bypasses the chance to take it. What's he got to lose?
There's an art to this, and, yes, Mahomes' voice plays into at all. It's a Texas twang that his teammates used to tease him sounds a bit, well, frog-like.
That's fine. Because by the time you think you have it memorized, by the time you're settling in, by the time you're ready to get that perfect jump off the line and sprint into the Chiefs' backfield ...
He's got you.
Hook, line and sinker.
