Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes says his favorite off-the-cuff pass came in Denver
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- Chiefs sit 8th in AFC at 5-4 but hold a 66% playoff probability per NFL.
- Mahomes cites a 2022 no-look mini hook to Jerick McKinnon as favorite play.
- A win in Denver would boost Kansas City’s postseason odds and AFC standing.
The Chiefs are currently on the outside looking in regarding the AFC playoff field, but the NFL’s outlook paints an optimistic picture for Kansas City.
At No. 7 in the current playoff seeding is Jacksonville, which has a 5-4 record. NFL.com says the Jaguars have a 40% chance of making the postseason. The Chiefs, also 5-4, are No. 8 in the AFC pecking order, but they have a 66% shot of being in the playoff field, per the league’s website.
The Chiefs can improve their playoff chances Sunday with a win at Empower Field at Mile High against the Broncos, who are leading the AFC West.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes hasn’t won in Denver since the 2022 season. A year ago, Mahomes and other Chiefs starters rested in a season-finale loss to the Broncos at Empower Field.
In 2023, the Broncos beat Mahomes and the Chiefs 24-9, ending Kansas City’s eight-game winning streak in the Mile High City.
Mahomes, the two-time NFL MVP, has made some incredible off-the-cuff plays against the Broncos, starting with that left-handed pass completion in 2018. But that’s not Mahomes’ favorite playground throw during his career.
During the 2022 game in Denver, Mahomes tossed a no-look mini hook shot pass to running back Jerick McKinnon, who took it to the house for a 56-yard touchdown.
During an interview with ESPN’s Alex Smith, Mahomes was asked to name his favorite off-platform pass.
“The one to me is the one to McKinnon. I was in, like, one of those spots as a quarterback, you just don’t want to be in where I was half-running, half-throwing, and I got stuck with the football kind of like awkwardly in my hand. And I was about to get hit really hard, and I kind of just saw him. And I just flick your wrist up like this.
“And it ended up being, like a 50-, 60-yard touchdown, and that one was the most, like, all right, that wasn’t supposed to work, and it worked out perfectly. And those are the ones that I go to coach (Andy) Reid and I’m like, if it works, it’s good, but if it doesn’t work, I’m gonna be in trouble.”
That interview between the current and former Chiefs quarterbacks was shared on X.
This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 8:59 AM.
