Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shocked the Arrowhead crowd by throwing a behind-the-back pass to Travis Kelce in the Lions game.
Patrick Mahomes behind the back pass against the Lions (Image via IMAGO/X)
A few days ago, when Patrick Mahomes tried out the behind-the-back pass in training, it was merely a foreshadow of the things to come in the future. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback proved he can also do it during an NFL game.
Around the 6-minute mark in the first quarter, the Chiefs had the ball near the 3rd and 3 inside the Detroit Lions half. After taking the snap, Mahomes faked a layoff to rookie running back Carson Steele and checked back for a free receiver.
However, Mahomes pulled off the unthinkable. He saw Travis Kelce wide open just ahead of the line of scrimmage and threw a behind-the-back pass.
Kelce caught the pass for a first down but failed to gain more yards as the Lions’ defense closed the door on him. Regardless, the Arrowhead was buzzing to witness something special from Patrick Mahomes.
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The game’s commentators revealed that head coach Andy Reid encouraged Mahomes to try out the behind-the-back pass in a game, and he did just that.
In between the halftime break, reporters caught up with Mahomes and asked him about his sensational pass to Kelce. The multiple-times NFL MVP revealed the pass wasn’t premeditated but rather a spur-of-the-moment adjustment because Kelce couldn’t hear his call.
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Mahomes sent shivers down the spine of the entire NFL when he first introduced the behind-the-back pass last week in training. On that occasion, it was running back Isiah Pacheco who caught the ball and scored a touchdown.
Despite the magical display, the Chiefs have now lost back-to-back pre-season games. They led 23-15 at the start of the fourth quarter through Chris Oladokun’s 64-yard touchdown pass to Cornell Powell.