NFL World Mesmerized As Patrick Mahomes Breaks Out Long-Rumored Behind-the-Back Pass

Aug 17, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates toward fans against the Detroit Lions prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

He finally did it.

After years of hearsay, myth and speculation, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a behind-the-back forward pass in a competitive football game Saturday. He broke out the move in the first quarter of a preseason contest against the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, and tight end Travis Kelce turned the low throw into a first down.

As you can imagine, the NFL world reacted rationally to this development—which comes on the heels of the Chiefs winning back-to-back Super Bowls, and Mahomes a pair of MVP awards, without the aid of any behind-the-back passes.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggested that there may have been a method to Mahomes’s madness.

Ex-Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce was in awe.

Former ESPN analyst and NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III compared Mahomes’s stylings to those of basketball players.

Kevin Clark of ESPN pointed out that Mahomes has long been workshopping the move.

All told, only a quarterback like Mahomes has the ability to turn the preseason into a victory lap.