FOXBOROUGH, Mass. _ Of Patrick Mahomes' four second-half touchdown passes on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, his 1-yard lob to Tyreek Hill was delivered with the least apparent degree of difficulty.
Then again, it remains unclear whether the Chiefs quarterback was actually trying to pass to Hill or Kareem Hunt, who was on his way to the same spot when he was dragged down by a Patriots defender with the ball in the air.
"For real," Hill said, he didn't know.
Nor will he, necessarily.
"A magician never reveals his tricks," Mahomes said with a smile. "So I'll just leave it at that."
But the sorcery in Mahomes' performance in the Chiefs' berserk 43-40 loss to New England, sealed by Stephen Gostkowski's 28-yard field goal as the clock ran out, wasn't contained in that lingering mystery.
It was in how he absolved himself of a disjointed first half that included two brutal and costly interceptions and ended with the Chiefs facing a 24-9 deficit.
It was evident all along in how fans in Kansas City knew the game wasn't over because of what he'd already done and come to stand for in just six previous NFL starts.
Amid a captivating comeback, it was in the serene look he had on his face as he was being tutored by coach Andy Reid.
And it was the essence of the epilogue for anyone who watched this spectacle, from relieved Patriots fans to encouraged Chiefs fans to a national television audience: You've seen the future, and its name is Patrick Mahomes, whose presence helps explain why the Chiefs' locker room here was basically upbeat despite the loss and that pesky defensive collapse.
This isn't about some sort of moral victory, especially considering the widespread panic the defense is creating.
But in what is widely considered one of the most daunting places to play in the NFL, Mahomes' performance was a substantial fresh affirmation of what we'd already seen demonstrated at Los Angeles and Pittsburgh and Denver and against San Francisco and Jacksonville at home.
And it reinforced the baseline: No predicament is too big for this 23-year-old, notwithstanding mistakes that he might make along the way, and the Chiefs always are going to have a chance to win against anyone even with this defensive anvil lurking over their heads.
This was a loss, yes, but more significantly in the long run it was another night in the making _ and education _ of a potential NFL superstar with the skills and charisma and character to have a transformative impact on a franchise parched for its first Super Bowl in nearly half a century.
"You learn from every single experience you have," said Mahomes, who, in fact, proves that routinely.
In this case, Mahomes seemed over-amped early. Following a mesmerizing no-look pass to Travis Kelce (on which he'd also appeared to hand it off first), Mahomes overthrew Hunt _ sometimes he lasers in a pass that he should feather _ for what would have been a touchdown, and three plays later missed Hill in the end zone.
Then came an interception giftwrapped to Dont'a Hightower, who fooled Mahomes and ran it back 27 yards to set up a Patriots touchdown. Mahomes had thought Hightower was blitzing, lost track of him before he bobbed back in coverage and plucked away the pass intended for Kelce.
Mahomes went 158 passes before throwing his first interception of the season against Jacksonville last week, and by the time the half ended he had thrown three in 24 attempts over two games when he forced a pass for a covered Kelce into the end zone. That cost the Chiefs at least three points they could well have used later.
"Just got a little too greedy," Mahomes said.
You can be sure Mahomes will learn from the experience that that ball has to be catchable for Kelce and no one else. But you also can bet that he was unfazed, too.
There is a remarkably thin line between brilliance and madness in Mahomes' game, and the Patriots as orchestrated by the diabolical defensive mind of Bill Belichick further reduced the margin for error with pressure and looks that left him off-kilter.
But this is where his mental toughness and uncanny composure and capacity to adapt factor in, assets that are as much a part of who he is as his insane arm.
Mahomes knew he had missed some key throws and left points on the field. He also knew there was nothing to fret over just down two scores, especially not with players like Hill (three touchdown receptions) and Hunt (195 total yards) and Kelce (five catches for 61 yards) around him.
Instead of wilting, he just shrugged and figured there were plenty of opportunities ahead if he just processed better and got into a rhythm in the second half.
"He is a very quick study, so when he sees something the first time he recognizes it the next time," right tackle Mitchell Schwartz said, later adding, "They're able to throw stuff at you that you haven't necessarily seen before. It's kind of pattern recognition. He's exceptional at picking up on that immediately. And if we get burned on that the first time, or something doesn't happen right the next time, he (knows) exactly what was happening and ... where to go with the ball."
So 1 minute and 33 seconds into the third quarter, the complexion of the game changed from borderline blowout to a mere 24-16 deficit when Mahomes roamed out of the pocket and found Hunt behind the defense for a 67-yard touchdown.
After the teams swapped field goals and Breeland Speaks forced a fumble by Tom Brady, Mahomes hit Hill for a 14-yard touchdown to make it 27-26 and mute Patriots fans.
When Hill scored again on the pass that may have been intended for Hunt to give the Chiefs a 33-30 lead, at least one Pats fan suffering from Mahomes Mania turned hostile and threw a beer on Hill.
Next thing you know, it's a shootout between arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history and the one capturing the imagination and sheer faith of Chiefs fans and serving notice around the league.
"He rises for the moment when it's presented," Kelce said.
Mahomes' 75-yard pass to Hill with 3:03 left tied it at 40, only for Brady to cast the final spell for his 200th regular-season win.
Afterward, Mahomes and Brady immediately congratulated each other, with Mahomes telling Brady, "Good luck the rest of the season" and that he hoped they might get to meet again in a couple months.
For the Chiefs, it sure would be nice if that were to happen in Kansas City instead of back here.
But wherever it might be, this night says the Chiefs carry a certain mojo and wield a certain something that they've lacked forever ... and we'll just leave it at that.
