The Kansas City Chiefs‘ hopes of making the playoffs went up in smoke on Sunday, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is now out.
Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in his left knee with 1:53 left in regulation of the Chiefs’ 16-13 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The injury occurred after Mahomes’ knee appeared to buckle as he was tackled by defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand while rolling to his right near the line of scrimmage.
The Chiefs confirmed the news on X after the game and said that Mahomes and the team were examining his options for surgery.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had already offered a discouraging update on Mahomes’ health postgame, telling reporters he’ll undergo an MRI on Monday but the initial prognosis “didn’t look good.”
“Don’t know why this had to happen,” Mahomes posted on X. “And not going to lie [it] hurts. But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again. Thank you Chiefs Kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I will be back stronger than ever.”
The frightening scene on the field saw Mahomes clutch his knee, appearing to be in intense pain following Hand’s tackle. He was immediately tended to by several staffers and needed assistance off the field and into the blue medical tent before he was eventually helped into the locker room with a towel over his head.
Mahomes finished the game 16-for-28 for 189 yards along with two carries for 15 yards and a score.
Due to Sunday’s loss, the Chiefs (6-8) have been eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2014. Kansas City has now lost its last three games and five of its last six games.
If Mahomes is going to miss time, Gardner Minshew is the Chiefs’ backup quarterback. Minshew took over on Sunday and completed three straight passes, giving Chiefs fans hope on a day that began with wind chills near zero and their playoff chances about the same.
But with 20 seconds to go, Minshew unloaded a pass intended for tight end Travis Kelce, and Chargers safety Derwin James leaped up to pick it off, allowing Los Angeles to escape.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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