Why Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes shared a photo in the locker room after win vs. Steelers

Just minutes after the game, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes called teammate Samaje Perine over in the locker room; he had something the running back needed to see.

There, pulled up on his phone, Mahomes showed a picture of him throwing a pass to Perine in Wednesday’s 29-10 road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers ... all while Perine was still lying on the turf.

Yes, the same throw that turned into a 14-yard completion after Perine hopped up for a diving catch on Mahomes’ backhanded flip pass.

“When it happened, it just happened all in slow motion,” Perine told The Star after the game. “Just to see that (picture), it’s crazy. I ain’t gonna lie. It’s crazy.”

The Chiefs’ best Christmas highlight was that third-and-11 play — so improbable that Netflix’s cameras even showed Mahomes laughing about it in the seconds that followed.

A field-level microphone also caught Mahomes’ conversation with Perine, as the running back pointed back to Mahomes in acknowledgment before flashing a smile.

“Great play 3-4,” Mahomes said on the broadcast, referring to Perine’s jersey number. “Way to get up.”

Yep, this was somehow just how Mahomes envisioned it as he rolled left on the first-quarter snap.

In his postgame news conference, Mahomes admitted he clearly saw Perine falling to the turf following a hit by Pittsburgh linebacker Patrick Queen. The QB then decided he was going to run (and maybe use his patented fake pitch) before choosing a different option late.

He would loft a pass — even if Perine wasn’t looking.

“I just knew if I got it high enough, that he was just wide open. It’s the only chance,” Mahomes said. “It’s either that or take the hit. And I was like, ‘I’ll just give him a chance to make a play.’”

So Mahomes flipped it — way up in the air, backhanded and with enough flutter that Perine popped to his feet before lunging back for the reception.

Though the Steelers committed a holding penalty on the same play, the Chiefs didn’t need it. KC declined the markoff, instead taking the 14 yards on Perine’s catch made possible by Mahomes’ imagination.

“He’s the only guy in the world,” Chiefs receiver Justin Watson said, “that can make that play.”

Netflix’s announcers compared Mahomes’ playmaking to that of Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre.

Meanwhile, in the locker room after, Perine could barely stop smiling while discussing the Chiefs quarterback.

“Just a routine play,” Perine said while deadpanning, before letting out a laugh. “I mean, it’s not routine, but it’s more or less routine for him. Because you know that he’s always going to do whatever it takes to keep the play alive, and you’ve got to be ready.”

Perine, by the way, says he didn’t know the pass was coming his way after he fell. He didn’t even see it until he started rising to his feet again.

“I just got up by instinct,” Perine said, “and then it just so happened the ball was in the air.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid complimented Perine, saying the veteran running back “just keeps making plays for us.”

Mahomes also was impressed by Perine’s agility on the reception.

“He made a heck of a play — being on your back and then coming back around and making that catch,” Mahomes said. “But he’s been a great player for us this entire year.”

The 29-year-old Perine — in his first year with the Chiefs — has become a mainstay on the team’s highlight reels.

Not only did he pull down Wednesday’s circus catch, but he also has been on the receiving end of two separate laterals from tight end Travis Kelce this season.

“This is definitely new to me. But you’ve just got to be ready for it,” Perine said. “And luckily I have been, to this point.”

Perine later admitted being part of this 15-1 team — while involved in so many wacky moments — has made for a memorable season.

And one unlike any other in his eight seasons as a pro.

“It’s very fun,” Perine said. “I’ve had fun over my career, but this has been the greatest fun.”