Texas Tech in the NFL: Pat Mahomes has mixed bag vs. Atlanta

Former Texas Tech quarterback Pat Mahomes made his second preseason appearance as the starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs Friday flashing moments of brilliance but making some big mistakes as well.

Pat Mahomes second preseason start for the Kansas City Chiefs was a perfect example of why no one knows exactly what to make of him as a starting QB in the NFL.  At times Friday night, Mahomes made critical mistakes that he simply must avoid while at other times he did things with the football that no other player on the planet may be able to do.

Overall, Mahomes was 8-12 passing for 138 yards with a touchdown and an interception.  And he could have easily throw another interception but Atlanta DB Blidi Wreh-Wilson dropped what should have been an interception on a pass Mahomes threw across his body and into the end zone from the Atlanta seven-yard-line.   That possession ended with a Kansas City field goal but on the next Chiefs’ drive, the Falcons would not be so forgiving.

On Mahomes’ next play, he was picked off by Atlanta safety Damontae Kazee on a pass that never should have been thrown.  Mahomes did not look Kazee off before he lofted a lazy ball for wide receiver Sammy Watkins that was easily picked.

But Mahmes made sure to end his night in spectacular fashion.  With just 0:17 to play in the first half, Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill on a 69-yard TD pass to pull the Chiefs to within four points at 14-10.  The play sent Twitter ablaze as Mahomes showed off his arm throwing the ball 70 yards in the air despite taking a hit as he released the pass.

"“I don’t think I’ve ever thrown one that far in a game,” Mahomes said.  “I don’t know many people that would be able to catch that ball going that far in a game. I told (Hill) if I had thrown a spiral, he wouldn’t have been able to get to it. He disagreed with that.”More from Wreck'Em RedTexas Tech football: Red Raider fans need to know about these MountaineersTexas Tech football: Red Raiders land first commit for class of 2025Texas Tech football: Why have the Red Raiders struggled on the road under McGuire?Texas Tech football: Why the Red Raiders can compete for a Big 12 titleTexas Tech football: Plenty of questions remain as conference play arrives"

Mahomes is obviously still a work-in-progress and in this game, he did show improvement over his first preseason start.  Looking more crisp while hitting key targets like Hill and tight end Travis Kelcee on intermediate throws against tight coverage, Mahomes averaged 11.5 yards per completion Friday, an improvement of seven yards from his first preseason game.

The physical aspect of the game seems to be no problem but Mahomes must now improve when it comes to taking care of the ball.  The mental aspect of playing quarterback in the NFL is where he must develop the most so that he can avoid the type of costly mistakes he made against the Falcons.

Mahomes and the Chiefs will next face the Chicago Bears on August 25th before finishing the preseason five days later against the Green Bay Packers.  Those games will be more crucial for Mahomes than for most other starting quarterbacks in the NFL as he still has a lot of room for improvement as the regular season is rapidly approaches.