NFL fans were treated to a moment of preseason brilliance from Patrick Mahomes on Saturday, after he performed an ‘insane’ behind-the-back pass to Travis Kelce.
Andy Reid is notorious for not giving his starters much time before the regular season begins, but those in attendance at Arrowhead got an early glimpse of two superstars against the Detroit Lions.
Both Mahomes and Kelce were locked in from the start, and it didn’t take long for their bond to become clear, with a moment of magic midway through the first quarter.
Mahomes faked the handoff to his running back, ran right, and then incredibly threw the ball behind his back to find Kelce in space at the 30-yard line.
Kelce managed to catch the ball and make a five-yard gain, before being taken down at the 25-yard line.
The moment quickly went viral on social media, with fans reacting incredulously to the inventive play.
‘This is insane,’ one noted, before another added: ‘Oh, it’s a wrap for the rest of the NFL.’
Regardless of the plays Mahomes and the Chiefs try in the regular season, they are sure to be a Super Bowl contender once more as they go for the three-peat come February.
Mahomes, Kelce and Co have lifted the Lombardi trophy in both of the last two seasons, and will aim to do the same in New Orleans this time around.
Their recent success has also come alongside a huge rise in popularity, in large part thanks to Kelce’s ongoing relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift.
Swift attended most of Kelce’s games last season, and is expected to do the same this time around.
Patrick Mahomes still needs four more Super Bowl wins to tie Tom Brady’s record of seven. But the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is a little closer to the NFL great in one aspect. Mahomes was named the MVP of Super Bowl LVIII on February 11 after throwing for 333 yards and tossing the winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman in overtime, completing a 25-22 comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers.
With his third MVP honor—Mahomes also earned the title in Kansas City’s 2020 and 2023 Bowl wins—the 28-year-old QB is one of only three players to accomplish the feat. Joe Montana and Brady, with five total, are the others. The Chiefs are the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since, you guessed it, the Patriots with Brady in 2003 and 2004.
Mahomes acknowledged the Brady comparisons and said they help fuel his ambitions. “It’s always going to be tough because Brady beat me in the Super Bowl [in 2021]. That’s one thing he’ll always have on my head,” Mahomes told NFL Network after the game Sunday. “It gives me something to strive for every single day is chasing greatness, and whenever I’m tired, I might not want to work out, I know that I have to do it to be in these moments like this… It does give me that added motivation to continue to be great every single day.”
Football player Patrick Mahomes has won three Super Bowls as quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, earning the game’s MVP award in each instance. The son of former MLB pitcher Pat Mahomes Sr., Patrick played baseball in college and almost went pro. But his success on the football field at Texas Tech University changed his plans. Mahomes was drafted into the NFL in 2017 as the 10th overall pick and has since won two league MVP awards. Currently, he is the second-highest-paid player in the NFL.
Patrick Lavon Mahomes II was born September 17, 1995, in Tyler, Texas.
His parents are former MLB pitcher Patrick “Pat” Mahomes Sr., who played professionally for 11 years, and event planner Randi Martin Mahomes. The younger Mahomes, who is biracial, has said he’s both “proud to be Black” and “proud to have a white mom, too.” Pat and Randi are now divorced, though they remain “friendly.”
Mahomes has one brother, Jackson, and three half-siblings: sisters Mia and Zoe, along with brother Graham. Today, Jackson is a social media star with over 1.1 million followers on TikTok and is known for posting videos from many of Patrick’s games. However, he is also a controversial figure. Most notably, he was arrested in May 2023 and charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery and a fourth charge of misdemeanor battery stemming from an incident at a restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas, in February 2023. The three felony charges were dropped in January 2024, while Jackson has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor.
Before either Mahomes brother found fame, they followed their father’s star. With Pat playing for several MLB teams throughout his career, the family often lived in apartments and hotel rooms in cities where he played. Patrick was athletically gifted like his father. He excelled at baseball and also played football.
By his junior year, Mahomes was starting at quarterback at Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas. In his senior year, he threw for 4,600 yards, 50 touchdowns, and only four interceptions, but college coaches still thought his future was in baseball.
College
After high school, the Detroit Tigers drafted Mahomes in the 37th round. Declining the offer, Mahomes enrolled at Texas Tech University in 2014 and continued to play baseball, assuming he’d enter the MLB draft again.