Mahomes improvises with behind-the-back toss

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes hinted during the week that he wanted to throw a behind-the-back pass during a game. He delivered during Saturday’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium.

Mahomes went behind the back to Travis Kelce for an 8-yard gain and a first down on Mahomes’ last drive of the game before he was pulled in favor of backup Carson Wentz late in the first quarter.

Mahomes said the play wasn’t designed for him to throw behind his back, but it worked out anyway.

“It has to happen naturally,” Mahomes said after the Lions beat the Chiefs 24-23 on a walk-off field goal. “I can’t force it. … It probably looked pretty cool, but I haven’t actually got to see it yet.”

Mahomes said he has been urged to try a behind-the-back pass by coach Andy Reid. Mahomes has occasionally thrown behind his back in practice, most recently completing one to running back Isiah Pacheco at training camp.

Reid said he’ll accept the trick throw from Mahomes as long as he completes the pass. He wouldn’t elaborate on his reaction if the behind-the-back pass was intercepted or incomplete.

“Got to think positive,” said Reid, who added he has never seen such a throw being completed in a game. “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.”

Kelce on the Chiefs TV broadcast said he initially wasn’t expecting the ball. But out of the corner of his eye he saw Mahomes start the behind-the-back motion and knew what was coming.

“I guess the right place at the right time,” he said.

Mahomes said even though he was able to make this one work, he won’t be throwing behind-the-back passes with any kind of frequency. It will be, he said, mostly out of necessity.

“If you look at that play, I’m not going to say it’s the only way you can make that throw,” Mahomes said. “But it would’ve been hard for me to kind of turn and throw it back across or above the guy, the two guys, chasing me. We’ll see when we get on film, but it’s not something that I want to try to major in. It might be something that just kind of happens every once in a while.”