Patrick Mahomes impresses in NFL debut, throws first NFL touchdown

Patrick Mahomes impressed in his first game with the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night. The Texas Tech product finished 7-of-9 for 49 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in nearly a quarter-and-a-half against the San Francisco 49ers. He posted a quarterback rating of 126.4 in his four drives.

Mahomes was the third Chiefs quarterback to play. Starter Alex Smith led a game-opening touchdown drive, directing Kansas City down the field efficiently. Then came Tyler Bray, who threw an interception but was accurate otherwise.

Mahomes — the Chiefs’ first first-round quarterback selection since 1983 — entered the game just over halfway through the second quarter. On his first play, he lofted a ball deep down the sideline to a wide-open Demarcus Robinson. The pass, a bit underthrown, would have gone for 40 yards, but it was called back for a hold on left tackle Isaiah Battle.

A subsequent false start on Battle put the team way behind the sticks, and Mahomes was sacked by Aaron Lynch on 2nd and 21. After a short completion by Mahomes on third down, the team sent the punt unit out.

Mahomes remained in the game after halftime, and he completed two more passes — an accurate short throw to De’Anthony Thomas and a nine-yard dart to Seantavius Jones. The Chiefs took a 10-9 lead on a Sam Ficken 45-yard field goal moments later.

Later, the Kansas City special teams set Mahomes up perfectly for his first unofficial touchdown as a pro. Following a blocked punt, Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City offense took the field in the red zone. A defensive pass interference had the Chiefs knocking at the door, and Mahomes scrambled to his right before finding rookie wideout Marcus Kemp for the score.

On his final drive, Mahomes completed a 16-yard pass to Gehrig Dieter, but the drive was later disrupted by a holding call. Mahomes looked good escaping a couple of pockets that collapsed around him, but the Chiefs punted it away once again. In the fourth quarter, Joel Stave replaced Mahomes at quarterback.

In general, Mahomes was pretty impressive while not asked to do too much. He was accurate on his short throws, which is key in the Chiefs’ offense, and he showed his athleticism on several occasions. He’ll get his next shot to compete with Bray for the backup job on Aug. 19 against the Bengals.