Getty Images Patrick Mahomes celebrates during a matchup with the Broncos.
Patrick Mahomes received the gift of a cannon of a right arm from his father, former MLB pitcher Pat Mahomes.
But the younger Mahomes’ left arm isn’t bad either. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback completed a left-handed pass to pick up a third-down conversion with his team trailing by a field goal late in a Monday night matchup with the Denver Broncos.
LEFT-HANDED THROW
@PatrickMahomes5 🔥🔥🔥 t.co/rObfTV8I0M
Chiefs Mount Comeback
Five plays later, Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt found the end zone on a four-yard rush for a 27-23 lead that Kansas City’s much-maligned defense managed to protect on the road.
The Chiefs’ eight-play, 60-yard drive capped off a comeback from down 10 in the fourth quarter.
On the Kansas City’s prior possession, Mahomes orchestrated a 12-play drive that spanned more than six minutes of game clock, marching 75 yards and finding Travis Kelce for a two-yard touchdown.
.@tkelce catching that dart and punching it in 🔥 t.co/BXIHo7HSo9
Kansas City improved to 4-0 on the season. They remain one of two undefeated squads in the NFL, with the Los Angeles Rams. The Broncos dropped to 2-2, tied with the Los Angeles Chargers for second in the AFC West.
The Chiefs will host the 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5, and Denver will look to bounce back against the New York Jets on the road.
Patrick Mahomes’ Hot Start
A first-year starter, Mahomes entered the night on a historic hot streak: His 13 touchdown passes through the first three games of the season set an NFL record, breaking Peyton Manning’s mark of 12, set in 2013.
The 23-year-old completed 28 of 45 passes for 304 yards and one touchdown without turning the ball over against a quality Broncos defense. He added seven yards on the ground, tallying his first NFL rushing touchdown in his first Monday night start.
As a junior at Texas Tech in 2016, the quarterback’s 5,052 yards led the nation, and he connected on 65.7 percent of his passes for 41 touchdowns and 10 interceptions across 12 games. He rushed for 12 more scores, and his 53 total touchdowns also led the nation.
Kansas City made Mahomes the 10th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. Mitch Trubisky, selected second by the Chicago Bears, was the only quarterback drafted ahead of him.
Less than a year later, the Chiefs showed how confident they were in Mahomes’ ability to lead the team. In January, Kansas City traded Alex Smith, their starter under center for five seasons, to the Washington Redskins for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick.
It’s early, but it’d appear they made the right move.