Patrick Mahomes’ spontaneous greatness, explained in 4 absurd throws

Mahomes blessed NFL fans all year with throws from every angle you can think of.

In just his first season as a starter, Patrick Mahomes has developed into the likely MVP and one of the most exciting players in the entire league. Mahomes finished the 2018 season with 5,097 yards, an insane 50 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. That success on the field propelled the Chiefs to a 12-4 record, tying Andy Reid’s best record with the team, and the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

It wasn’t just the gaudy stat total that was impressive for Mahomes. It’s how he was obtaining these yards. The physical gifts he has paired with accuracy created some of the most breathtaking throws of the NFL season.

If you haven’t seen Mahomes play — or just want a reminder of how ridiculous he was — we have you covered with some of his craziest throws of the season.

The Bird Box Challenge

He threw a perfect pass against Baltimore without even looking:

Here’s another angle, just to appreciate it a little more.

Mahomes spoke about this throw with Peter King of NBC Sports — and he even recreated the pass. Here’s how Mahomes described what happened:

“First off, I sent my man (Gehrig) Dieter the wrong way. He was supposed to motion this way; I brought him all the way back over here and motioned him that way, so we had four guys on the right side of the field, and Travis Kelce was right here, so as I dropped back in the snap I peeked this side, knowing that I’m thinking Trav one-on-one on his route and so I look over to Trav—they double covered him, and so I step up, there’s a rush coming. I step up here and I step up here and I see Demarcus Robinson streaking across the field with a safety sitting right there. And so instead of looking at D-Rob, I just kind of give him the look over here, and then I just (Mahomes throws a perfect no-look pass to a station) hit him right there, right where the trash can was. Instead of looking at him, I just put it out there, D-Rob made a great play. It was a cool play and the season went on.”

Mahomes said that the no-look pass is something that he picked up at Texas Tech when he was messing around in practice.

Left-Handed Levitation

Throwing with your left hand while being chased by Von Miller? No problem for Mahomes.

In this scenario, most quarterbacks would either take the sack, or throw the ball out of bounds and live to see another down.

Not Patrick Mahomes.

With Miller breathing down his neck, Mahomes decided to flip the ball to his left hand before throwing the ball to Tyreek Hill for a few yards. Reminder: Mahomes is not left-handed.

Damsel in Distress

A dime in the back of the end zone while being tackled? Easy money.

Somehow, Mahomes was able to deliver a pump fake with a defensive back hurtling toward his face before delivering a touchdown strike. Mahomes is a cool customer under pressure — this play encapsulates that.

Right-handed Fire Hose

Mahomes is the son of a baseball player — Patrick Mahomes Sr., who played 11 years in the MLB — and those genes showed with a ridiculous sidearm touchdown after reversing field:

This throw was one of the early ones in the Chiefs’ season that got the Mahomes hype train rolling. Despite not being known for his running ability, Mahomes is really elusive in the pocket. San Francisco learned that the hard way.

Mahomes bolted around the backfield, running away from 49ers defensive linemen before finding Chris Conley in the back of the end zone. Mahomes threw a heater on the run, under pressure.

When Mahomes takes the field on Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, he’s guaranteed to put points on the board. But it’s the manner in which he scores and the wizardry he shows that makes him a truly special player.