The image that danced in the general manager’s head is one you might remember. It happened in the Sunday night window of Week 4 last season on a second-and-goal, with the Chiefs at the Buccaneers’ 2-yard line, the ball on the left hash and 11:35 left in the second quarter. Patrick Mahomes took the snap and rolled right; Tampa Bay DE Pat O’Connor came free to the right side of the Chiefs’ line and shot straight at Mahomes like he came out of a cannon.
Mahomes got depth and ran around O’Connor, diving at him, then sprinted to the right boundary with Tampa All-Pro Devin White closing in on him. The quarterback planted off his lead foot and spun back to the field, sending White into the grass before doubling back to the sideline to avoid Keanu Neal, and, now hard against the sideline, flipped the ball over a crowd of players from both teams and into the waiting hands of Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the score.
It was, undoubtedly, a signature moment in the quarterback’s second MVP season.
