How Andy Reid stole a play from Carson Wentz

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The Chiefs ran a play on opening day last year that helped them to a 42-27 upset win over the Patriots in Foxboro, and it’s a play that would look very familiar to Carson Wentz.

Here’s why:

With the Patriots holding a 27-21 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, Andy Reid’s Chiefs had a 1st-and-10 on their own 22-yard line.

What were the Chiefs facing? The Patriots, at that point, were 105-0 at home with Tom Brady when entering the fourth quarter with a lead.

Reid called a play where Kareem Hunt — playing in his first NFL game — lined up in the backfield, just to the right to Alex Smith, Tyreek Hill was in the left slot, Travis Kelce lined up tight to the right and WR Chris Conley was wide left.

Hill went into motion to the right, drawing safety Duron Harmon down to the line of scrimmage. Cornerback Eric Rowe, the Eagles’ second-round pick in 2015, was lined up on Hill but dropped back when Harmon moved up.

Rowe then picked up Kelce as he ran a crossing pattern, leaving the middle of the field open and giving the Chiefs a great matchup of linebacker Cassius Marsh on Hunt.

Smith had tremendous protection and dropped a perfect pass to Hunt, who caught the ball just past midfield and ran in for a 78-yard touchdown. The Chiefs wound up winning by 15.

It was a perfectly designed play.

And it came right out of the Carson Wentz playbook.

In her SI.com piece, “Andy Reid is Creating Football’s Future, and Patrick Mahomes is Living It,” Jenny Vrentas explains that Reid first saw the play that resulted in that 78-yard touchdown — and which the Chiefs have had success with other times as well — while watching tape of Wentz at North Dakota State.

The Chiefs weren’t planning to draft a quarterback in 2016, but Reid always watches film of the top quarterback prospects anyway, and while watching North Dakota State film, he saw Wentz and the Bisons run that play over and over … with great success.

“We were studying Carson and kind of snuck that one,” Reid said.

According to Vrentas, North Dakota State calls the play "He-Man," and the Chiefs call it "All-Go Special Halfback Seam."

Whatever the name, it works, and it neatly connects the Eagles’ current quarterback with their former head coach.

Ironic that Reid snagged a play from Wentz, who now plays for Doug Pederson, who was Reid’s quarterback in 1999 and offensive coordinator with the Chiefs from 2013-15 and now coaches Wentz.

Do the Eagles have that play in their playbook? Probably. But they definitely don’t have a Kareem Hunt.

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