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KANSAS CITY Kansas City Chiefs T-Shirts , Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes had been shredding the Patriots defense all night with his incredible arm strength and downfield precision in a back-and-forth shootout last month when it looked as if the Chiefs quarterback might be finally corralled by a well-timed blitz.With a deft flip of his wrist, Mahomes instead tossed a soft screen pass to Kareem Hunt out of the backfield, and he raced up the field as the Patriots were forced to chase him.The timing was perfect. The execution was spot-on.It was just one of dozens of examples through the first nine games this season of coach Andy Reid using the screen pass to impressive effect.Whether it’s Hunt out of the backfield, Tyreek Hill or Sammy Watkins on a bubble screen or even tight end Travis Kelce catching a short pass behind the defense, the Chiefs may use their myriad variations of the screen better than any other team.“You are really just taking a blocking scheme and moving it out into space,” Reid explained. “Our backs are good with it, quarterback gives them an opportunity and the big guys get out and run.”The intricate timing plays are fun for just about everybody.Mahomes likes them because the throws are fairly easy and often lead to big gains. Hunt and fellow running back Spencer Ware like them because they can use their talent in space. And even the offensive linemen like them because they often get to plow through smaller defensive backs, rather than tangle with big defensive tackles as they would do on a traditional running play.Oh, and the Chiefs’ fans like them for obvious reasons.Screen passes are hardly new in the NFL, and indeed, they have been part of Reid’s basic West Coast offense since he was learning the scheme from its originator, Bill Walsh.But with so many playmakers at his disposal, and a quarterback who is finally capable of executing the variety of plays, Reid has taken the old-school notion of screen passes to another level.They might incorporate elements of the run-pass option, a relatively new development that has swept through the NFL.Or they might call for guys to line up in unique spots, such as running backs split wide or a wide receiver in the backfield. Or they might call for exotic blocking schemes.“It’s a timing thing. We have to be in sync with our offensive line,” Ware said. “Our releases are a big part of it — how we escape. The downfield ball with Tyreek, Sammy https://www.thechiefsfanshop.com/hats , Travis and Mahomes throwing it opens it up for us. Then when you have Kareem running how he’s running, they come up and play the run and it’s like, ‘No, it’s not a run, it’s a pass. You’d better get back.’ That gives us some cushion.”Such screen plays often look simple, but are in fact quite difficult to execute.Mahomes has to read the defense correctly in the seconds before a snap. The designated target needs to be on the same page. And as Hunt explained, “there’s just a lot of timing involved.”“Yeah,” Mahomes added, “but with how well Coach Reid explains it, everything goes off each other. I think we had a screen and it went off a shovel pass to Kareem the week before, things like that, where we build on top of each other every single week. We are never set in our ways.”That’s another reason the Chiefs’ screen passes are so difficult to defend: They may run a play to one target one week, giving the next opponent film to review, then run the play to a different target out of the exact same formation the following week.Good luck trying to stop that.“Asking these guys to go against faster players, for your offensive linemen to go against these defensive backs and block them in space, that’s tough to do,” Reid said.“We’re fortunate our backs do a nice job of this. They help set up the defense so you can run fast. There’s nothing worse than watching a screen, you get out there and the offensive linemen are out there trying to dance a little bit.“A back can take care of you with that Kansas City Chiefs Hoodie ,” Reid concluded. “As long as you know where he’s at, he’s going to kind of force the issue downhill, good things can happen.”Notes: Strong safety Eric Berry (heel), OL Cam Erving (illness), LB Anthony Hitchens (ribs), WR Sammy Watkins (foot) and C Mitch Morse (concussion) remained out of practice Thursday. … Special teams coach Dave Toub dismissed a couple of recent missed PATs, saying Thursday that “nobody is harder on himself” than PK Harrison Butker. Toub said snaps have been part of the problem, “and again, it’s a 33-yard field goal. It’s not a chip-shot like it used to be.” The latestCan Andy Reid rewrite the book on ‘Playoff Andy’? | ESPN2019 NFL Playoffs Odds: Patriots surprising underdogs to Chiefs, Vegas expects Rams-Saints shootout | CBS SportsTom Brady after Pats’ rout: ‘Everyone thinks we suck’ | NFLPatrick Mahomes Unfazed by the Magnitude of the Chiefs’ Historic Playoff Victory | Sports IllustratedPatriots at Chiefs AFC Championship Game preview: Can Patrick Mahomes outduel Tom Brady in rematch? | USA TodayNow, Only Patrick Mahomes II Can Save Us From Another Patriots Super Bowl Appearance | The RingerPatrick Mahomes’ grandmother celebrates with Chiefs fans at Chick-Fil-A | EastTexasMatters.comChiefs guard Jeff Allen gifts tickets to fan for getting car unstuck | ESPNAround the leagueAlshon Jeffery on drop: ‘One play don’t define me’ | NFLPatriots’ Development of a Power Run Game Makes Them Dangerous | Sports IllustratedSaints’ Rankins believed to have suffered torn Achilles | NFLNick Foles faces uncertain future after magic with Eagles runs out | USA TodayNFL coaches get fired by the handful, but for the league’s GMs, results don’t seem to matter | CBS SportsSarah Thomas makes history as first female on-field playoff game official | ESPNIn case you missed it at Arrowhead PrideThe Dixon Five: important history, Justin and Sammy, and house moneyChiefs beat Colts: 16 winners and 4 losersChiefs dominate Colts 31-13 to advance to AFC Championship...Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social MediaAP Facebook Page: Click here to like our pageAP Instagram: Follow @ArrowheadPrideAP Twitter: Follow @ArrowheadPrideAP Editor-in-Chief: Pete Sweeney: Follow @pgsween610 Sports Twitter: Follow @610SportsKC