It is already being called "The Pass" in Kansas City.

It happened early in the Chiefs' game against the Atlanta Falcons Authentic Alexander Wennberg Jersey , when Patrick Mahomes II dropped back to throw. The pocket began to collapse around him, so Mahomes took a couple jitterbug steps forward and let loose with a 69-yard heave that Tyreek Hill caught nearly in stride for a touchdown.

The ball traveled almost the entire distance in the air.

Immediately, the pass began trending on social media. Four days later, it was still being discussed on local sports talk radio. It had turned into memes blazing trails across the internet.

Just imagine if it had happened in a game that counts!

"I underthrew it, to be honest," Mahomes said with a wry smile. "Tyreek outran it. If you have guys like that, that much speed, you just try to get them the ball and make plays."

Yet there are few quarterbacks in the NFL capable of making that particular play.

It takes the kind of arm strength few possess, and the kind of vision to spot a streaking wide receiver 50-odd yards downfield. It takes the confidence to step up in a pocket rapidly filling with big, bruising bodies, and the discipline to deliver the pass while taking a hit.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was asked Tuesday whether he could remember any similar throws, and only two came to mind. The first involved then-Packers quarterback Brett Favre, with whom Mahomes has drawn plenty of comparisons, and a long touchdown toss to Sterling Sharpe against Detroit. The second involved the Eagles' Donovan McNabb, who hit DeSean Jackson in a Monday night game against Dallas.

Maybe that one came to mind because Jackson dropped the ball in celebration before crossing the goal line, nullifying the touchdown. Then again, maybe it was the sheer audacity of the throw.

"Not everyone," Reid said Richard Panik Jersey , "can do the long ones."

Nor do their big arms always translate to big success.

JaMarcus Russell had otherworldly arm strength when he was drafted by Oakland, but he was never able to harness it in the NFL. Another ex-Raiders quarterback, Jeff George, had a massive arm but only made two playoff appearances. Jim Hart parlayed his cannon into a long career with the Cardinals, but he never managed to win a playoff start, in part because of a weak supporting cast.

More often than not, though, arm strength has been a key ingredient to some of the most productive passers in recent history, especially as the NFL has become a quarterback-centric league.

Favre, John Elway and Dan Marino, and more recently Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, have all possessed the kind of arm it takes to fling the ball downfield as pockets are collapsing.

Hill, who is near-universally recognized as the NFL's fastest player, said that "Pat is the first guy that I've played with that has the arm strength" to hit him in stride. "That's not taking anything away from other quarterbacks I've played with," he added, "but Pat is something special."

The challenge now? Make sure those meme-inducing throws are long, impressive touchdown passes, not the kind of ugly interception that Mahomes threw earlier against the Falcons.

"That's kind of the transition of getting into Pat's mind Corey Perry Jersey ," Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce explained, "and be there play-specific where he needs us to be, or where he needs to throw the ball.

"And on those deep passes, man, just keep running."

One thing Reid and new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy have been stressing to Mahomes is to avoid making the same mistake twice. It could be failing to recognize a coverage scheme or identify a blitz package, or even delivering a throw to the wrong part of the field in a certain situation.

"He's a young guy. He's seeing things for the first time," Reid said. "It's important that when you see it again you don't make the same mistake. That's where it can be a problem."

Perhaps that's why Mahomes was more jazzed about a third-and-11 completion to Kelce that kept the chains moving than his long touchdown pass to Hill. It was a similar throw to one he'd missed earlier in the preseason, and it was evidence that he had learned his lesson.

"It was a harder throw and a little better spiral, too," he said, again smiling. "I mean, for me it's just about being efficient and scoring touchdowns to win games. You can have a big arm and that can help you out in games, but you need to be able to move the ball, convert on third down and score."

NOTES: The Chiefs released RB Charcandrick West on Wednesday. ... ILB Reggie Ragland (knee) hopes to make his preseason debut Saturday in Chicago. "That's the plan right now," he said. "We're going to take it day by day, but hopefully I'll be ready." ... SS Eric Berry (heel), OG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (concussion), DT Allen Bailey (knee) and CB Steven Nelson (concussion) were held out of practice Wednesday.

Injuries prevented the Texans from finding out exactly what their team could have been last season.

Star defensive end J.J. Watt Womens Samuel Girard Jersey , linebacker Whitney Mercilus and quarterback Deshaun Watson were among 21 Houston players that spent time on injured reserve during the 2017 campaign. The season predictably imploded, ending with six straight losses.

But before the avalanche of injuries, the Texans gave the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots all they could handle during a Week 3 visit to Gillette Stadium.

Despite having a rookie signal caller in Watson, the Texans' offense matched touchdowns with the Patriots. Houston was headed for an improbable victory before Tom Brady rescued his team with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in the final minute to give New England a 36-33 victory.

Now healed and with a revamped defense, the Texans return to New England on Sunday, hoping to put their misfortunes in the past as they open the 2018 season.

That is particularly true in the case of Watt, who has had parts of the past two seasons derailed by injuries .

He played just three games in 2016 before being sidelined with a herniated disc. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year then appeared in five games last season before having his year ended by a fractured left tibia.

"I'm just looking forward to playing football again," Watt said. "Obviously the last two years have been very rough for me. You want to play and everything that I've had to go through in the rehabs and the recoveries and all that it took and then, obviously, (Hurricane Harvey) as well.

"But I'm just looking to getting back out on the field, playing football, flying around with the guys, doing what I love."

Meanwhile, the Patriots begin yet another season as the favorite in a conference they have dominated for nearly two decades thanks to Brady. He's now 41, but has yet to show any signs of diminished capacity coming off an MVP season.

He'll have a new-look receiving corps following the offseason departures of Danny Amendola and Cooks, as well as the four-game suspension of Julian Edelman for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancers.

Though he's already secured his place in the Hall of Fame and may possibly end his career as the most accomplished quarterback in league history, Brady reiterated this week in the final installment of his Facebook Watch series "Tom Vs Time" that he wants to play five more seasons .

"I think I can do it," he said. "It'll be a challenge for me. I don't think it's going to be easy. It's going to be hard to do. I think it's going to be very hard to do. But I think I can do it. And once you stop you're done. And I think I'm not ready to say I'm done Colton Sissons Jersey , because I don't feel like I am."

Here are some other things to know about Sunday's matchup between the Texans and Patriots:

CLOWNEY COMING: After having the best season of his career in 2017, Jadeveon Clowney is looking to do even more this year as part of a line that also features Watt.

The top overall pick in the 2014 draft finished last year second in the NFL with a career-high 21 tackles for losses, and his 9 1/2 sacks, 21 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles were also career bests. He started all 16 games for the first time after struggling with injuries through the early part of his career, and his 59 tackles in 2017 were the most of his career.

"My goal is to make more plays than I did last year ... improving my sacks and tackles for loss and everything," he said. "I just want to do that again. With everybody back this year the sky's the limit for this defense and myself. I just have to come out and put it all together."

SPOTLESS RECORD: Houston is one of four teams New England has an undefeated regular-season home record against (4-0). The Patriots are 5-0 against Baltimore, 4-0 against Chicago and 4-0 against Jacksonville.

The Patriots also have won the last five regular-season meetings with the Texans overall.

HAVING HIS WAY: Aside from his late-game heroics last season, Brady has been equally steady against the Texans during his career. He has an 8-1 record against Houston, passing for 22 touchdowns and 2,565 yards (regular season and playoffs).

CONTAINING WATSON: Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower will be playing in his first regular-season game since suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last October. He said he's excited about the challenge of trying to contain Watson, who had his way with the Patriots in their meeting last season, passing for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Hightower said putting pressure on Watson early will be key to trying to slow him down.

"I think that's the biggest thing ... just not letting those guys get comfortable inside the pocket," Hightower said. "Hopefully we'll do a good job this week containing him in the run and pass game."

AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed to this report.

Pittsburgh Steelers Customized Jerseys