Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ spectacular back-to-back pass to tight end Travis Kelce was an early candidate for the play of the week, but says the highlight was actually a mistake.
Mahomes showed some Mahomes magic when he connected with Travis Kelce Pass behind to pick up a first down in the first quarter Chiefs season game Saturday against the Detroit Lions. However, Mahomes later revealed during an in-game interview that the highlight-reel play was “100%” improved.
“Long story short, Travis (Kells) didn’t run the route he was supposed to run,” Mahomes said. “It was a back-to-back pass because I was mad. I was mad at Travis. He had to run a flag route … and then he didn’t run it. So out of spite, I threw a back pass, but now it’s going to be a highlight.”
At LionsOn third-and-3 at the 33-yard line, Mahomes faked a handoff to fullback Carson Steele, who ran two steps to his right before throwing an unorthodox pass to Kelce to move the chains. Mahomes kept the ball in his right hand and then flipped it behind his back. The drive ended with a field goal to extend the stretch LeadersPut the Lions up 6-0.
Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl champion, said the play “just happened” after the mixup.
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“That’s what I try to tell everybody. You can’t plan this,” said Mahomes, who went 8-of-14 for 93-yards on his first two drives of the game before his day ended. “It just had to happen naturally in the groove of things. It wasn’t something I planned or called a play.”
Kelce joined the broadcast during the fourth quarter and offered a different story. Kelce confirmed he didn’t run the right route, but said it was actually Mahomes’ fault, effectively throwing Mahomes under the bus after his quarterback did the same to him.
“(Mahomes) mumbled the play and I couldn’t hear. I was walking to the line trying to understand what he was saying. Before I knew it, he snapped the ball,” Kelce said. One reception for 8 yards. “I saw it go to the sideline from my sideline, so I tried to go help my guy. By the time I looked over there, he was already in mid-form like a photo on a sports card, and I think it was the right place at the right time to throw the ball to me.
Kelce ended his interview by saying, “Don’t let Pat (Mahomes) cheat on you and make me wrong.”
Fans — and even Chiefs head coach Andy Reid — are calling for Mahomes to debut a behind-the-back pass in a real game after successfully completing a similar pass to running back Isiah Pacheco. During training camp This week. Mahomes said he was “hesitant” even though Reid had given him the green light.
“(Reid) is everything. I’m the only one who hesitates to do that in the game,” Mahomes said Earlier this week. “There’s definitely potential for that. If you do it, it should work. … When you have a good day, you have the freedom to try things like that. If things don’t work out, you don’t. I didn’t have that opportunity.”
Even with that improvement, things seem to have gone well for Mahomes and the Chiefs.
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