NFL

Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs

· National Football League
1-1, 1-1 Away
Final
24 - 23
0-2, 0-1 Home

More Mahomes magic: Chiefs QB completes behind-the-back pass in 24-23 preseason loss to Detroit

So, Mahomes threw to his trusty tight end out of spite anyway — by throwing it to him behind his back.

The audacious throw was the highlight of an otherwise forgettable preseason game in which Mahomes threw for 93 yards in two tidy series of work, but the Lions rallied to win 24-23 on Jake Bates' 43-yard field goal with no time remaining.

“I always told you it had to happen naturally,” said Mahomes, who has fooled around with behind-the-back passes in practice but had never tried it in a game. “I knew it was on target. It was just low. But like I said, it wasn't like — I didn't do it to look cool. I did it because I was like, pissed off (at Kelce), like why did you run that route like that? And it just worked out.”

Mahomes was 8 of 14 through the air while leading the Chiefs to a pair of field goals against the Lions' backup defense. He also led Kansas City to a field goal in his only series in its preseason opener against the Jaguars last week.

But none of that will be remembered like his behind-the-back pass to Kelce, when Detroit defensive lineman Josh Paschal was beginning to bear down on him.

Kelce reached down and snagged the pass, and the completion on third-and-3 at the Detroit 33 was good for a first down and helped to set up an eventual field goal.

“He does it in practice every day,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I'm alright with it as long as it's a completion.”

It didn’t take long for clips of the pass to go viral. Kelce’s brother and retired Eagles center Jason Kelce tweeted, “The son of a gun actually did it!” Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, added: “That was unnecessary, but beautiful!”

Carson Wentz took over for Mahomes and was 5 of 10 for 31 yards with a touchdown throw to Xavier Worthy. The speedy first-round pick out of Texas had three catches for 62 yards and the score while adding 11 yards on a rushing attempt.

Lions coach Dan Campbell opted to sit his starters for their second preseason game, just as he did last year against the Jaguars. Campbell had been noncommittal about his plan for the game earlier in the week, though he did cancel a planned scrimmage for Wednesday because of the number of injuries the team has sustained in training camp.

Nate Sudfeld was 14 of 27 for 196 yards with a touchdown and an interception as he tries to nail down the backup job behind Detroit starter Jared Goff. Hendon Hooker, who returned after sustaining a concussion last week against the Giants, was 12 of 15 for 150 yards while running for a touchdown as he tried to make some headway in the competition.

The Lions' special teams were in preseason form most of the game. They fumbled the ball away on a kickoff return — Wentz hit Worthy three plays later for their TD strike. They also fumbled a punt return and Bates missed an extra point.

Then again, Bates made the kick that won the Lions the game.

“That’s a big kick,” Campbell said. “That’s two weeks in a row. He hits a 53 (last week against the Giants) and a 55-yarder, and then hits a game-winner. Every time he does something like that, you gain a little more confidence in him.”

INJURIES

Chiefs LS James Winchester left in the first half with a shoulder injury but returned after the break.

UP NEXT

Lions: Play the Steelers next Saturday.

Chiefs: Play the Bears on Thursday night.

How can I watch Lions vs. Chiefs?

  • TV Channel: Lions at Chiefs 2021-22 NFL, week 3 is broadcasted nationally on NFL Net and NFL+.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Lions vs. Chiefs on DAZN.

Scoring Summary

KC FG 1st Period 12:16 Harrison Butker 33 Yd Field Goal
KC FG 1st Period 3:21 Harrison Butker 37 Yd Field Goal
KC TD 1st Period 1:47 Xavier Worthy 22 Yd pass from Carson Wentz (Harrison Butker Kick)
DET FG 2nd Period 14:12 Jake Bates 55 Yd Field Goal
DET TD 2nd Period 6:52 Kaden Davis 61 Yd pass from Nate Sudfeld (Jake Bates PAT failed)
KC FG 2nd Period 4:00 Harrison Butker 56 Yd Field Goal
DET FG 2nd Period 0:08 Jake Bates 23 Yd Field Goal
DET FG 3rd Period 3:15 Jake Bates 32 Yd Field Goal
KC TD 4th Period 9:25 Cornell Powell 64 Yd pass from Chris Oladokun (Harrison Butker Kick)
DET TD 4th Period 5:29 Hendon Hooker 7 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
DET FG 4th Period 0:00 Jake Bates 43 Yd Field Goal

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/det.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originDET https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/kc.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originKC
24 1st Downs 13
17 Passing 1st downs 10
7 Rushing 1st downs 2
0 1st downs from penalties 1
7-16 3rd down efficiency 4-14
0-0 4th down efficiency 0-0
74 Total Plays 56
459 Total Yards 276
6.2 Yards per Play 4.9
13 Total Drives 13
342 Passing 202
26/42 Comp/Att 21/35
8.0 Yards per pass 5.3
1 Interceptions thrown 0
1-4 Sacks-Yards Lost 3-37
117 Rushing 74
31 Rushing Attempts 18
3.8 Yards per rush 4.1
1-5 Red Zone (Made-Att) 0-2
6-40 Penalties 7-55
3 Turnovers 1
2 Fumbles lost 1
1 Interceptions thrown 0
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
32:00 Possession 28:00

Game Information

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Location: Kansas City, MO
Attendance: 73,344 · Capacity:

2024 NFC North Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Detroit 9 1 .900 0 336 177
Minnesota 8 2 .800 0 244 170
Green Bay 7 3 .700 0 250 213
Chicago 4 6 .400 0 194 187

2024 AFC West Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Kansas City 9 1 .900 0 240 191
Los Angeles 7 3 .700 0 220 145
Denver 6 5 .545 0 235 183
Las Vegas 2 8 .200 0 187 285
Full Standings

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