Patrick Mahomes was the victim of a brutal 99-yard pick-six in a difficult game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The situation was complicated from the beginning, and the Chiefs were on the verge of scoring when the costly error occurred. This type of disastrous play, however, has happened to even the greatest of Super Bowl winners, including Tom Brady in 2015.
It was in 2015, the Patriots were poised to score at the Eagles’ 1-yard line, but the opportunity slipped away when Brady threw a massive red-zone interception two plays later. Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins returned the errant pass 99 yards for a stunning touchdown, putting Philadelphia up 21-14. The costly pick-six was cited as one of the biggest, uncharacteristic mistakes in the game.
It’s not easy to watch a Super Bowl champion throw an interception that ugly, but such plays happen, and Mahomes is not typically the cleanest quarterback in that category. The 99-yard interception against the Jaguars was heavily criticized, particularly for Mahomes’ immediate reaction following the turnover.
Mahomes Criticized for Clapping After Pick-Six
Something fans did not like seeing during the 99-yard pick-six was Mahomes appearing to clap after the play. While it is unclear if he was applauding the Jaguars player or trying to rally his teammates, people quickly mocked him on X. One fan wrote: “Mahomes throws a pick 6 and started clapping like it wasn’t his fault.” Another critic suggested the reaction was performative: “Mahomes is so performative clapping right after the pick six trying to seem like he’s not rattled.”
However, Mahomes did receive a defense regarding the legality of the play itself. Former quarterback Kurt Warner defended the pick-six: “You get 1 yard from Line of Scrimmage to contact defender and not have OPI… you can even block the guy if you wanted to, so in this case I think it’s a legal play & TD!”
The Interception Trend
So far in the 2025 season, Mahomes has logged a total of 2 interceptions; the first came against the Eagles in Week 2. He has now lost both games in which he has thrown an interception, indicating they are proving to be game-changing mistakes. For comparison, the current league leader in interceptions is Geno Smith of the Raiders with 9.