“This Is Why He Is the Best”: After Mastering Behind-the-Back Pass, Patrick Mahomes Seen Working on New Trick, and Fans Are Impressed

For most quarterbacks, trick plays are rare treats. But when you’re Patrick Mahomes, they’re just another page in the playbook, and apparently, even those pages get annual upgrades.

In 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs surprised the NFL world when Mahomes finally unleashed a behind-the-back pass during a preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

The eight-yard connection to Travis Kelce resulted in a first down, marking a long-awaited moment that was years in the making. Mahomes had initially teased the idea on shows like First Things First, where he had said, “Coach Reid wants me to throw it behind-the-back more than anyone in the world… It’s me not having that confidence to do it in the game.”

However, while facing the same Lions who beat them in their 2025 season opener, everything just clicked for Mahomes. The odds weren’t in his favor, though, as Kelce ran the wrong route on the play. But Mahomes threw it anyway — “out of spite,” he joked from the sideline. “One of the coolest balls I’ve ever thrown,” he added later.

Now, in 2025, Mahomes is taking things a step further — evolving the already deceptive play. Cameras at Chiefs OTAs this offseason captured the three-time Super Bowl winner working on a fake behind-the-back pass.

Yes, you read that right. As defenders closed in, the Chiefs superstar went through the entire motion for the behind-the-back pass — shoulder drop, arm swing, the full package — only to pull the ball back and look for another opening while marching forward.

Unsurprisingly, fans were impressed with Mahomes for his constant commitment to learning and improving himself. For some, this observation was enough proof to claim that the Chiefs quarterback’s greatness is unparalleled in the league. “This is why he is the best in the entire NFL,” wrote a fan. “Man, that’s so COOOL!!” added another.

The rest, however, were seemingly unimpressed with Patrick Mahomes’ latest trick play. For starters, they felt that a play like this is more likely to get the quarterback brutally taken down than result in a touchdown. “If he’s beyond the line of scrimmage, he’ll just get leveled (presumably resulting in a defensive penalty),” penned an “X” user.

A few, meanwhile, were pissed at the fact that under modern quarterback friendly rules and lenient refereeing, a medicore move like this would work. These fans saw it more as Mahomes exploiting the regulations than truly coming up with a marvellous move. “Easier to do with the NFL rules protecting him while defenses are handcuffed,” they said.

That said, it doesn’t look like Mahomes is working on his trick plays for fun. He and the Chiefs are coming off a humbling 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, a game in which the Chiefs QB threw three touchdowns but also had two picks, six sacks, and a lost fumble.

Simply put, it was one of the most dominant secondaries he’s ever faced, and no one knows better than Mahomes that changes are needed to prevent a repeat.

But luckily for Chiefs fan, they can be hopeful of Patrick Mahomes ironing out the chinks in his armor. The last time he suffered a Super Bowl loss — to Tom Brady and the Bucs in 2021 — he responded by leading Kansas City to three straight AFC Championship appearances and back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 2022 and 2023.

So if history repeats itself, the other 31 teams could be in serious trouble, especially now, with even more misdirection in Mahomes’ arsenal.