Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes limped off the field after suffering a gruesome leg injury late in the game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
With less than two minutes to play on Sunday, December 14, Mahomes, 30, was tackled awkwardly along the sideline, and immediately grabbed his left knee in pain.
His knee seemed to buckle on the play. Trainers attended to Mahomes, and after a few minutes on the field, he limped off and was taken to the medical tent on the sideline.
Later, he was seen being assisted to the locker room and didn’t return to the game.
Mahomes finished with 189 yards passing and an interception. He also ran for a touchdown.
Gardner Minshew, 29, came in as Mahomes’ backup and finished the game, but threw an interception to seal the Chiefs’ fate.
Minshew — a seven-year NFL veteran — is likely to lead the Chiefs for the final three games of the season if Mahomes, a two-time NFL MVP, misses time with the injury.
With the 16-13 loss, Kansas City was officially eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons. It’s a blimp on an otherwise dominant decade for the Chiefs, who have won three Super Bowls in the last five seasons, including going back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided an update on Mahomes after the game, saying he would undergo an MRI on Sunday night or Monday, December 15.
“I don’t know,” Reid said of the severity of the injury. “But, I mean, it didn’t look good. We’ll see where it goes.”
Mahomes has been dealing with a knee injury for the last few weeks, but has not missed any time up until now.
“I feel like I’ve played a football season,” Mahomes said on Wednesday, December 10, on 96.5 The Fan. “You know, everybody’s kind of banged up and has his things here and there, but I’ll be ready to go, and I’m excited to get back out there on the football field and try to do whatever I can to get back in a better mindset of winning.”
He was on the injury report ahead of last week’s Sunday Night Football matchup against the Houston Texans, but was all cleared to play that game and this week’s game.
“And that’s what it’s all about, especially the quarterback position,” he said. “If the guys are going to sacrifice their bodies to block for you and do that different type of stuff, you have to be able to sacrifice your body to give it all on the football field as well. And so it’s two teams that are fighting to try to go out there and win a football game. And I’m sure it’ll be a great battle.”
Prior to Sunday’s game Mahomes spoke to the media about the importance of the game, with the Chiefs in a do-or-die situation.
“We understand that we have to win,” he said on Wednesday. “That’s obvious. You gotta win the football game. Whatever it takes. You say it every week, but obviously you’re back against the wall type spot where you’re playing a team that you’re chasing, that has a big lead in front of you, so you have to find a way to win.”
Read the full article here
