Patrick Mahomes says behind-the-back pass was Travis Kelce's fault
Patrick Mahomes has been planning to throw a behind-the-back pass for years. He finally broke it out on Saturday, dishing a behind-the-back throw to Travis Kelce in the Kansas City Chiefs' preseason matchup with the Detroit Lions.
The pass, which seemed to be a designed dump-off pass to Kelce, came on a third-and-3 in Lions territory. However, the instantly iconic pass Mahomes threw wasn't a designed play. The Chiefs quarterback improvised the throw because of Kelce's route running.
"Long story short: Travis didn't run the route he was supposed to run, and then it was kind of a behind-the-back pass kinda ‘cause I was mad, I was pissed off at Travis," Mahomes told the Chiefs’ preseason broadcast. "He was supposed to run a flat route - I don't know if you could hear me on the broadcast, I'm yelling at him - and then he doesn't do it.
"So, out of spite, I threw a behind-the-back pass, but now it's gonna be a highlight."
Kelce admitted that he didn't run the right route, but said it was because he couldn't understand what Mahomes was saying prior to the play.
"It wasn't a play? No, it was a play. It was a first down," Kelce told the Chiefs' preseason broadcast. "You know, he's got the voice thing (mimics Mahomes' voice), so he kind of mumbled out the play and I couldn't hear it. I was walking up to the line and I was trying to decipher what he was saying.
"Before I knew it, he was snapping the ball. Then, I kind of saw him out of my peripheral run to the sideline, so I was trying to help my guy out. By the time I looked over there, he was already in mid-form, like on a sports card, throwing the ball to me. So, I guess right place at the right time."
Mahomes later explained that throwing a behind-the-back pass can't be a designed play, at least for him to execute it.
"That's what I've been trying to say to everybody: It can't be planned," Mahomes said. "It's gotta be just naturally happening, kind of in the groove of things. I actually forgot about it until halftime; someone actually brought it up to me. It wasn't like I panned it all, it wasn't a called play. It just kinda happened.
"We had a kind of RPO-type thing going and he was the guy I was supposed to throw to, and then I got stuck with the football in my hand and I was like, ‘Gosh darn it, Travis.’ Then, I threw it behind my back and it worked out for us."
The throw to Kelce wasn't the only exciting play Mahomes made on Saturday. He completed a deep pass to rookie Xavier Worthy that went for a 39-yard gain.
Worthy also added a touchdown, beating the Lions' secondary for a 22-yard score on a pass from Carson Wentz.
