Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ impressive behind-the-back pass to tight end Travis Kelce was a likely candidate for play of the week, but Mahomes said the highlight was actually caused by a mistake.
Mahomes showed off his Mahomes magic in the first quarter of Saturday’s preseason game between the Chiefs and Detroit Lions with a behind-the-back pass to Travis Kelce for a first down, but he said afterward in an in-game interview that the play that ended up on highlight reel was “100 percent” improvised.
“Long story short, Travis (Kelce) didn’t run the route he was supposed to run,” Mahomes said. “I threw a behind-the-back pass because I was pissed. I was pissed at Travis. He was supposed to run a flag route and he didn’t, so I threw a behind-the-back pass to get revenge, and now that’s going to be the highlight.”
On third down and three at the Lions’ 33-yard line, Mahomes faked a handoff to fullback Carson Steele, took a few steps to the right, then threw an unconventional pass to Kelce to move the chains. Mahomes had the ball in his right hand and threw it behind his back to Kelce. Kelce gained eight yards on the play for a first down. The drive ended with a field goal, giving the Chiefs a 6–0 lead over the Lions.
Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl champion, said after the confusion that the play “just happened.”
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“That’s what I was just telling everybody. It’s not something you can plan,” said Mahomes, who finished the game after completing 8 of 14 passes for 93 yards on his first two drives. “It just happens naturally in the flow of things. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t a cold play.”
Kelce came on the broadcast during the fourth quarter and told a different story: Kelce admitted that he didn’t run the correct route, but claimed it was actually Mahomes’ fault, effectively blaming Mahomes because the quarterback had done the same thing to him.
“[Mahomes]was mumbling something about the play, so I didn’t hear him. I was walking up to the line, trying to figure out what he was saying, and before I knew it, he snapped the ball,” said Kelce, who finished with one catch for eight yards. “I saw him outside as I was running down the sideline, so I went to go help him out. When I looked over there, he was already in sports-card shape and tossed me the ball. I think it was just the right place at the right time.”
“Don’t let Pat (Mahomes) fool you into doing the wrong thing,” Kelce said at the end of the interview.
Fans and even Chiefs head coach Andy Reid have been calling for Mahomes to debut the behind-the-back pass in a live game after he completed a similar pass to running back Isaiah Pacheco during training camp this week. Reid has given permission, but Mahomes said he’s “hesitant.”
“[Reid]is all for it. I’m the one who’s hesitant to do it in a game,” Mahomes said earlier this week. “It’s definitely a possibility. If I do it, it has to go well. If I’m in good shape, I have the freedom to try those kinds of things. If it’s not going well, I don’t have the opportunity.”
Even if it was improvised, things seem to have worked out pretty well for Mahomes and the Chiefs.
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