2-3 Jet Chip Wasp
Revisiting the play that saved the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV vs. the 49ers
“2-3 Jet Chip Wasp.” It’s a play that has gone down in Chiefs history as arguably the most important ever.
With just over 7 minutes remaining in Super Bowl LIV, trailing by 10, and facing a 3rd-and-15 from their own 35-yard line, Kansas City was reeling. The big comebacks had seemed easy throughout that postseason. The Chiefs had come back from a 24-point deficit against the Texans and a 10-point deficit against the Titans. But Patrick Mahomes and the offense looked like a shell of themselves through the first 3 ½ quarters against the 49ers.
This play changed that.
First, let’s start with the formation and route combination. The Chiefs were in a 3×1 set (or a 1x3) with the three receivers to the same side all running vertical routes. This was not an uncommon concept to see out of this offense, especially when they had Tyreek Hill:
The 49ers would be rotating to cover-3. That meant the deep middle safety (Jimmie Ward) and two outside cornerbacks (Emmanuel Moseley and Richard Sherman) were each responsible for a deep third of the field:
Let’s focus on Moseley. By the time Mahomes planted his back foot, Moseley could see all 3 routes moving away from him, including Tyreek Hill’s. It did not appear that anyone was threatening his deep-third zone. What he did see, though, was Sammy Watkins breaking inside right near the first-down marker: