WATCH: Patrick Mahomes finds Clyde Edwards-Helaire for underhand TD
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is already up to some trickery early against Philadelphia, sneaking in an underhand touchdown toss to running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the Chiefs first score of the day.
After faking a handoff, Mahomes caught the defense off guard with the short throw. The score gave Kansas City an early 7-3 lead, but the Eagles scored on the very next drive to make it 10-7.
Kansas City is looking to turn around its year after back-to-back losses. After winning the Super Bowl in 2020, the Chiefs lost last season to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mahomes is in his fifth NFL season after Kansas City took him 10th overall in 2017. Plays like this underhand pass to Edwards-Helaire showcase why he deserves every penny of his 10-year contract worth more than $500 million. He won the MVP award during the 2018 season.
The running back is also showing why the Chiefs selected him in the first round of the 2020 draft. He immediately took over the starting job as a rookie and was involved in the passing game frequently last year. He finished with 36 catches for 297 yards and a touchdown.
Edwards-Helaire was teammates with Joe Burrow at LSU and a member of the national championship team in the 2019 season. He is now one of several weapons for Mahomes, who tends to favor receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.
Kansas City was quick to respond to the Philadelphia touchdown and led 21-13 at halftime. In addition to the underhand touchdown to Edwards-Helaire, Patrick Mahomes threw two more scores before the break. The running back had an efficient 45 yards on five carries.
The stage will get a lot bigger for the Chiefs in the coming weeks. They are schedule to take on the Buffalo Bills in Sunday Night Football in Week 5 before traveling to Washington to face the Football Team.