Patrick Mahomes turned heads with epic pass the last time Chiefs were in Atlanta

Chiefs players and coaches got a taste of what quarterback Patrick Mahomes was capable of when he ran the scout team in 2017.

Journalists and fans saw Mahomes’ potential when he started the regular-season finale at Denver that year. But NFL fans everywhere got a proper introduction the following season when the Chiefs played the Falcons in a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Dome on Aug. 17, 2018.

That’s where the Chiefs will be Sunday when they take on the Falcons, and with no disrespect to Mahomes, he likely won’t have a flashier play than this pass six years ago.

That Mahomes throw to Tyreek Hill traveled 68.6 yards in the air, which was longer than any pass in the previous season by nearly 7 yards.

Falcons coaches shook their heads on the sideline at the absurdity of the throw, which beat three defensive backs.

Former KC Star columnist Sam Mellinger wrote from Atlanta that day: “The following is not an exaggeration: No Chiefs quarterback has ever been capable of making this play. Ever.”

And Mellinger offered this prescient observation: “For years, the Chiefs have been in danger of being ruined by one bad play. With Mahomes, they’ll always be a danger to beat the other side with one remarkable moment.”

Mellinger, who is now the Royals’ vice president of communications, isn’t a soothsayer but those words have proved true six years and three Super Bowl championships later.

On social media, fans were in awe.

“This is absolutely unreal. That’s my ... quarterback,” one wrote.

Another shared this: “Chiefs fans are in for a nice ride”

And here’s what a third wrote: “He’s not even set and he’s throwing this bomb. I’m so here for Mahomes.”

After the game, Mahomes told reporters: “I don’t think I’ve ever thrown one that far in a game. I told (Hill) if I had thrown a spiral, he wouldn’t have been able to get to it, but he disagreed with that.”

Yep, that pass six years ago wasn’t even a spiral, but it’s a throw Chiefs fans certainly remember.