Patrick Mahomes details missed Pokemon-themed play for Andrew Wylie
By Matt Conner
Patrick Mahomes appeared on Jimmy Kimmel for an interesting interview about Super Bowl LVII.
At the time, you might have called it “Snowglobe, Part 2.”
There was an offensive play called by the Kansas City Chiefs in the red zone against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII that looked somewhat familiar. From a second-and-goal in the fourth quarter came the call for the Chiefs to do another sort of spinning circle to confuse the opponent only to come out in a weird formation.
The downside is that it didn’t work against the Eagles’ defense.
In case you missed the play, you can see what happened here:
Patrick Mahomes on Jimmy Kimmel about the play below. “Wylie, who is the guy we were trying to get the ball to, is a big Pokémon collector. And so it was Pikachu formation. And it was called got to catch them all.” #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/F3kELYxw6R
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) February 14, 2023
The play was a creative exercise intended to make Andrew Wylie, the team’s right tackle, an eligible receiver. As Patrick Mahomes received the snap, he quickly looked up to realize his primary option was recognized and taken away and the Chiefs quarterback—and eventual Super Bowl MVP—threw it out of the back of the end zone.
During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel following the team’s Super Bowl win, Mahomes answered a number of questions about the team’s after-party, the upcoming Chiefs Kingdom parade, and that awkward play.
“We worked on that play for so long and then I knew…” said Mahomes before trailing off. “We tried to disguise it with all of that different stuff happening before the snap and then I saw 22 point directly at the guy I was going to throw it to. I don’t know if I like my lineman matched up on the DB. Man, the worst.”
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When asked about the name of the play, Mahomes said they called it what they did in honor of Andrew Wylie’s passion for Pokemon cards.
“Wiley, who is the guy we were trying to get the ball to, is a big Pokemon collector. So it was a Pikachu formation and it was called ‘Gotta Catch ‘Em All’.”
These sorts of things are much more fun after a game in which the Chiefs won. It’s too bad Wylie didn’t have his moment because it would have been a lot of fun celebrating such a touchdown. It would also make us wonder if they would go for “Mewtwo” or just the extra point.
You can catch the entire interview below: