Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has mused about throwing a behind-the-back pass in games over the years and the prospect came up again this summer after he threw one to running back Isiah Pacheco in practice, but it wasn’t something he was planning to break out against the Lions on Saturday.
Even the best-laid plans don’t always come to fruition, however, and Mahomes found himself with a chance to check that box in the first quarter. Mahomes took a snap and was running to the right when he delivered the ball behind his back to tight end Travis Kelce to pick up the first down on third-and-3.
Mahomes told NFL Network that he delivered the pass “out of spite” because Kelce didn’t run the correct route on the play.
“I didn’t do it to look cool,” Mahomes said, via Nate Taylor of TheAthletic.com. “I literally did it as I was, like, pissed. I was like, ‘Why didn’t you run that route like that?’ It just worked out.”
Mahomes might not have planned for the play to look cool, but it did and it will now be something else for defenses to fret about as they try to slow down Mahomes and the Chiefs this season.