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Dan Orlovsky jabs Stephen A. Smith over 'grumpy old man' take on Patrick Mahomes behind-the-back pass

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•08/19/24•

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Dan Orlovsky Dak Prescott
Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

On Saturday, the internet exploded when Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a behind-the-back pass to Travis Kelce in a preseason matchup against the Detroit Lions. However, Stephen A. Smith doesn’t understand the excitement.

“I did not say it was not a good play or an impressive play. What I was lamenting is the fact that it’s trending worldwide like some earth-shattering news took place,” Smith said on Monday. “He threw a behind-the-back pass two yards.

“It’s a good play and all of that but damn. I mean, I’m looking at this. I’m like, ‘What is everybody talking about? Why is this trending? What’s going on?’ It’s a behind-the-back pass for two yards. Come on.”

In the preseason outing, Mahomes completed 8-of-his-14 pass attempts for 93 yards but did not score a touchdown. Evidently, Mahomes’ limited showing wasn’t enough to impress Smith.

Of course, not everybody was so unmoved by Mahomes’ highlight play. ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky fired back at Smith’s cynical take on the behind-the-back toss.

“I heard Stephen A. He sounds like a grumpy old man. How is this not cool? How is this not awesome and fun?” Orlovsky said. “That’s unbelievable. This is unreal, Stephen A.”

Mahomes will have plenty of more opportunities to impress Smith during the regular season. He’s rarely failed to do so in the past. In 2023, Mahomes tallied 4,183 passing yards and 27 touchdowns en route to his third Super Bowl victory.

Patrick Mahomes pulls back the curtain on the highlight play

Despite Mahomes’ abundant success with Kelce, the pair still aren’t always in sync. After the game on Saturday, Mahomes explained why he had to rely on his flashy behind-the-back throw to gain only a few yards.

“Yeah, long story short. Travis didn’t run the route he was supposed to run. And then it was kind of a behind-the-back pass because I was mad. I was pissed off at Travis,” Mahomes said. “He was supposed to run a flat route. I don’t think you could hear me on the broadcast.

“I’m 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 gonna be a highlight.”

Not bad for a rogue play. Travis Kelce had a different perspective on the jaw-dropping play.

“It wasn’t a play? No, it was a play. It was a first down,” Kelce said. “You know he’s got the voice thing … so he kinda mumbled out the play. I couldn’t hear it. I was walking up to the line, I was trying to decipher what he was saying. Before I knew it, he snapped the ball. Then, I kind of saw him out of my peripheral run to the sideline, so I was trying to go help my guy out.

“By the time I looked over there, he was already in mid-form like a photo on a sports card throwing the ball to me. It was, I guess, right place at the right time.”