Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ left-handed pass

Kansas City Chiefs fans have learned to expect great things from quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the brief time he has played as a starter.

In his first three games this season, he managed to surpass a record held by NFL legend Peyton Manning by throwing 13 touchdown passes. That’s something for the record books, to be sure.

But what Mahomes did Monday night at Mile High Stadium in Denver against the Broncos was a moment that is best left to the visual, rather than words and numbers.

Trailing the Broncos 23-20 with time running out in the fourth quarter, it looked as if the Chiefs were about to be handed their first loss of the season. Then it happened. Mahomes, who had been chased out of the pocket all night long by a relentless Broncos defense, was again having to break out wide and look downfield for a receiver.

This time he was being pursued by All-Pro linebacker Von Miller. With Miller closing fast on Mahomes’ right, the quarterback scrambled left to buy time to attempt a pass. Just as Miller got Mahomes in his grasp, the right-handed Mahomes switched the ball to his left hand and hurled a shot-put pass to receiver Tyreek Hill, who caught the ball and ran for a first down to keep alive the Chiefs’ chances of victory.

If you were watching the game live, you may not have noticed how Mahomes switched hands until the announcers started going nuts and the slow-motion replays began rolling. The Chiefs continued their drive and marched into the end zone to defeat the Broncos 27-23.

Kansas City Star visual journalist John Sleezer was on the sidelines at Mile High covering the game and captured the moment in a series of photographs. The video accompanying this story shows how Sleezer made the shot.