Tag: throw

Packers QB Jordan Love makes insane throw in loss to Lions

Don’t let one of the most insane throws of Jordan Love’s career be forgotten from Thursday night’s loss to the Lions.

Don’t let one of the most insane throws of Jordan Love’s NFL career get lost in Thursday night’s disappointing 34-31 defeat to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

The throw didn’t result in a touchdown, and it went down in the box score as nothing more than a completion to Christian Watson for 29 yards. But to see the play is to understand the difficulty and greatness of the full sequence from the Green Bay Packers quarterback.

The situation: 2nd-and-14 from Green Bay’s 26-yard line, 7:57 to go in the fourth quarter, Packers trailing 31-28.

Here’s the video from the end zone angle:

The Lions brought linebacker Jack Campbell on a blitz through the A-gap, and Campbell cleanly beat running back Josh Jacobs and had a free run at Love in the pocket. In danger of taking a back-breaking sack in a huge spot, Love stepped to his left and ducked his right shoulder under Campbell, momentarily evading the pressure and buying a second of time. Instead of attempting to escape the pocket and run, Love reset his feet and somehow delivered a perfectly layered and accurate throw to Watson despite being hit or pressured from both his front and back. And this wasn’t an easy throw — first-round pick Terrion Arnold was running stride for stride with Watson in single coverage, and the window to fit in the throw was maybe the size of a cereal box. But Love got it past the out-stretched arms and Arnold, giving Watson to a chance to create a big play on a drive that ended up tying the game at 31.

Had Love been sacked, the game might’ve been over. The Packers would have been facing third-and-forever and likely would have punted the ball back to the Lions with around seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. And it wouldn’t have been too surprising if Campbell — a first-round linebacker — got Love wrapped up and to the ground for the sack given his path to the quarterback on the blitz.

Instead, Love’s evasive maneuvering and incredible completion under pressure turned a negative play into an explosive gain, and the Packers had 1st-and-10 from the Lions’ 45.

This play will be easy to forget given the fact it wasn’t a scoring play and the Packers eventually lost the game. But it should be remembered. In fact, one could argue — given the situation and difficulty of the play overall — that this now represents one of the very best plays of Love’s career so far.

Despite a slow start, Love ended up completing 12 of 20 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 10.3 yards per attempt, didn’t have a turnover and finished with a passer rating of 111.7 and a season-best QBR of 92.4.

WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes warms up, throws bomb ahead of kickoff vs. Lions

Patrick Mahomes casually uncorked an otherworldly throw in his warmups ahead of the #Chiefs’ Week 1 kickoff against the #Lions.

Patrick Mahomes will have to carry the Kansas City Chiefs on his back against the upstart Detroit Lions on Thursday night, and judging by a video of his warmups at Arrowhead Stadium, the reigning MVP looks to be up to the task.

Mahomes took the field to loosen his arm ahead of Kansas City’s kickoff on Thursday night and was seen throwing a ball a country mile with seemingly no effort.

If this clip is any indication, Mahomes should be expected to be back to form as soon as he takes the field against Detroit. He didn’t get much run in the preseason, so after more than a month of waiting between training camp and Thursday night, fans will finally get their first glimpse of the NFL’s preeminent quarterback in real game action.

If he can find receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore, and Justyn Ross with a pass like the one he threw in warmups, Kansas City should fare well against the Lions in this Week 1 matchup.

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WATCH: Chiefs OC Matt Nagy shows off arm at Chiefs training camp

Matt Nagy uncorked an impressive pass that hit the crossbar of a goal post at Missouri Western State University on Tuesday.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was once a prized quarterback prospect before getting into coaching in the NFL. A University of Delaware product, he went undrafted after the 2001 annual selection meeting but found a niche for himself playing professional football in the Arena Football League through the 2000s.

His arm talent finally warranted a spot on an NFL roster in 2009, when he was briefly under contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Outside of his AFL experience, though, Nagy has been known for his coaching ability, not as a star player.

But, the seasoned coordinator proved that he could still sling the ball at Kansas City’s Tuesday training camp practice when video surfaced of him uncorking a pass that hit the crossbar on one of the goalposts at Missouri Western State University.

This incredible throw seemed to be from between 30 and 40 yards out, so his accuracy in hitting the crossbar was notable. Don’t expect Nagy to push Patrick Mahomes for playing time in 2023, but should Kansas City find themselves without a quarterback due to extreme circumstances, their offensive coordinator may be a viable option under center.

WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes continues working on insane behind-the-back passes

If Patrick Mahomes manages to complete one of these behind-the-back throws in the regular season, other teams might just decide to quit.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is known for making magic happen on the gridiron, but his most recent endeavors at practice have been even more impressive than usual.

After teammates trotted off the field to end Friday’s workouts, Mahomes stayed late to practice his behind-the-back passes, which seem to be part of his plans for the 2023 season. Kansas City Sports Network documented his extra work at the conclusion of the team’s drills, wherein Mahomes narrowly missed dropping the ball in a bucket from more than 20 yards away.

If Mahomes manages to pull off a behind-the-back touchdown pass during the regular season, teams across the NFL may well decide that it isn’t worth the effort of competing against him and give up. The fact that he can throw a ball this far off platform and, again, behind his back would be unbelievable if videos of his efforts weren’t so readily available.

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