Eric Bieniemy shares who calls plays for the Chiefs, how they get to Patrick Mahomes
Have you ever wondered how the Chiefs get an offensive play called during a game?
NFL fans know that Chiefs coach Andy Reid is one of the league’s most creative play designers. But during a game, the process of getting a play call to quarterback Patrick Mahomes involves a two-step process.
Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy described that procedure when talking with Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd last month about Bills linebacker Von Miller.
Bieniemy shared the story of his reaction to Mahomes’ left-handed throw in 2018 against the Broncos when Miller still played in Denver.
“That young kid, he was so hard to block, you had to scheme around him,” Bieniemy said. “I remember we played him, it had to be either 2018 or 2019 he beats Mitch (Schwartz, former Chiefs tackle) off the edge. And Mitch probably is not going to like me saying it.”
“And Mitch was good, too,” Cowherd interjected.
“Yeah, and here’s the thing, he probably was Von’s toughest matchup, because Mitch, he was smart,” Bieniemy continued. “He was very strategic with it. He did a great job of timing up his pass sets, but it was this one time he beats him. And so he beats him around (the edge), and Pat scrambles to his left. And Pat throws the ball with his left hand, and he completes it.
“And so in the heat of the moment now, you’ve got to understand, we’re in a two-minute situation where we’re trying to go down and win the game.”
Bieniemy then outlined the two-step process of a play getting to Mahomes. It’s called by Reid, who tells the offensive coordinator, who in turn shares it with Mahomes, who has a speaker in his helmet.
With 15 seconds left on the play clock, the speaker shuts off, ESPN noted, and that’s important as Bieniemy was talking about the left-handed pass.
“And so I’m sitting there,” Bieniemy said, “and it’s a lot of chaos over the headsets, and I’m like, ‘Damn, did anybody see that?’ I’m talking to coach Reid, and coach Reid’s like, ‘EB, you’ve got to call the play.’
“You know, he gives me the play. ‘You’ve got to call the play.’ I said, ‘Did anybody see that damn throw that he just made?’ He was like, ‘Get the play out, call the play.’ And so after I get the play called in, they’re like, ‘Yeah, we saw it. It was unreal.’”
Bieniemy spoke about Miller, Schwartz, Mahomes and the process of how the Chiefs call an offensive play. It was a fun listen.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 10:45 AM.
