Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs head into the 2024 season eyeing an unprecedented three-peat in NFL history. But before the real competition starts, Andy Reid’s boys are trying new things in preseason.
On Saturday’s loss to the Detroit Lions, Mahomes came up with an unexpected play that gave plenty to talk about around the league. In his final drive of the game late in the first quarter, the Chiefs quarterback attempted a behind-the-back pass.
It was an eight-yard completion to tight end Travis Kelce, so it worked pretty well. Reid has apparently encouraged Mahomes to attempts these kinds of passes in practice, but what if the quarterback tries this in a real game and it goes incomplete, or worse, gets intercepted?
The Chiefs head coach said he will accept Mahomes making these trick throws as long as he completes the passes. Reid, however, didn’t mention how he’d react to an incomplete or intercepted behind-the-back pass.
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks for an open receiver during the first quarter of a preseason game against the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on August 17, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.
“Got to think positive,” Reid said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN. “They do it in basketball every game, several times in every game. So it’s not that big of a deal [going] behind the back.”
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Patrick Mahomes explains why he attempted the behind-the-back pass
Mahomes’ behind-the-back pass was the highlight from Saturday’s game despite the Chiefs’ loss. Speaking to the media afterwards, the quarterback said he actually had a different idea in that moment of the game.
“It was an RPO (Run, Pass, Option) play, and Travis (Kelce) was supposed to run an out route,” Mahomes said, via ChiefsWire. “We had the leverage we wanted. I should have known because he asked me what he had as he was motioning over. You can see him kind of look back at me. I thought I told him and it was going to be open, so I pulled it, and then he wasn’t out there, so I was gonna run for it, and of course, he was blocking, and he’s turned around, and I just threw it to him.
“So, it wasn’t how it was drawn up, but I always told you it has to happen naturally. I can’t force it, and I did it, but then I actually forgot about it. And then getting asked about it probably looks pretty cool, but I haven’t actually got to see it yet.”
Mahomes not planning to make more behind-the-back passes
Even though he’s got Reid’s approval—if and only it’s a completed pass—it looks like this won’t become something usual. Mahomes has made it clear that this wasn’t planned, and that we shouldn’t expect the Chiefs attempting more behind-the-back passes in the 2024 NFL season.
“It’s just naturally got to happen,” Mahomes said. “Like, if you look at that play, like, I’m gonna say it’s the only way you can make that throw, but it was kind of like, it would have been hard for me to kind of turn and throw it back across above the guy at the two guys chasing me, I think so we’ll see when we get on film. But it’s not something that I’m going to try to major in. Might be something that just kind of happens every once in a while.”
