Patrick Mahomes explains how behind-the-back pass happened

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made an unexpected preseason highlight on Saturday when he completed a behind-the-back pass to tight end Travis Kelce in the first quarter of his team's 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions.

It was a classic Mahomes play in the sense that he is one of the few quarterbacks who has the confidence and creativity to even attempt such a move in a game.

So what inspired him to make that play on Saturday?

He was mad. Specifically, he was mad at Kelce for running the wrong route. He said threw the ball behind his back out of spite.

"Long story short, Travis didn't run the route that he was supposed to run," Mahomes said in a postgame interview on NFL Network. "And it was a behind-the-back pass kind of because I was mad. I was pissed off at Travis. He was supposed to run a flat route. I don't know if you could hear me on the broadcast. I was yelling at him, and then he doesn't run it. So, out of spite, I threw a behind-the-back pass, but now it's going to be a highlight."

Kelce was then asked about Mahomes' explanation and made a joke about his voice and not being able to decipher what Mahomes said in the huddle.

Obviously, there is some good-natured preseason joking going on between two of the best players in the NFL, but Mahomes did touch on something that is important to keep in mind the next time he breaks out a one-of-a-kind maneuver.

There is a lot of improvising going on out there and creative playmaking isn't the type of thing you can practice. (Or at least not practice well or consistently.) It requires a perfect set of circumstances and the right frame of mind to just go for it when everything else has failed.

On Saturday, it worked.