KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chief quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL in his left knee while trying to keep his team’s slim playoff hopes alive in the waning seconds of a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, and the two-time NFL MVP was considering surgical options after his season came to an early and frustrating finish.
It’s the most significant injury of a superlative nine-year pro career for Mahomes, who has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles and reached the AFC championship game in each of his seven previous seasons as the starter in Kansas City.
This year, the Chiefs won’t even make the playoffs, and Mahomes won’t be back on the field until sometime in 2026.
“Don’t know why this had to happen,” Mahomes, who turned 30 in September, posted on social media before the diagnosis was announced. “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 Chiefs had just crossed midfield with less than two minutes to go in the matchup of AFC West Division rivals when Mahomes scrambled toward the Kansas City sideline, then tried to get rid of the ball. He was spun to the ground upon release by Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand, and Mahomes immediately grabbed at his left knee while trainers converged on him.
He was eventually helped to the blue injury tent on the sideline, but Mahomes stayed there for just a few moments. He soon emerged with staff members on either side of him, limping toward the locker room with a white towel draped over his head.
“He will get an MRI tomorrow or this evening,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Whenever we can.”
It turned out to be Sunday night. And the news was what everyone in Kansas City had feared.
“I just hugged him, man,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “That’s my brother. We’ve been through so much. We love Pat.”
Gardner Minshew entered the game and completed three straight passes to give the Chiefs a chance, but the seventh-year pro was picked off by Derwin James on a jump ball intended for tight end Travis Kelce with 14 seconds remaining. It sealed the Chargers’ sweep of their regular-season series with Kansas City.
Los Angeles improved to 10-4 overall this season, while Kansas City is 6-8 with three games to play. The Chiefs haven’t finished with a losing record since going 2-14 in 2012, the season before current head coach Andy Reid took over.
“I hate the situation,” said Minshew, a journeyman who is in his first season with the Chiefs. “I hate that I couldn’t deliver the win and keep our hopes alive.”
The loss, along with wins by the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, ended the hopes of Kansas City making a run at a fourth straight AFC championship.
“It’s very frustrating, man. It’s been hard to watch for Pat, a dude that puts so much into it,” Minshew said. “I’ve never seen someone give so much of themselves to the team. I have confidence in him and his ability to come back better than ever.”
Mahomes, known for his mobility and playmaking ability, had also dodged severe injuries for most of his career.
The worst one before Sunday may have come in 2019, when Mahomes dislocated his right kneecap on a sneak against the Broncos, a fluke injury that may be why Reid has not called another traditional quarterback sneak in years.
Mahomes has dealt with a concussion, turf toe and other minor injuries, but his most famous may have occurred during the 2022 season’s playoffs, when he sustained a severe high-ankle sprain. Questions swirled around whether he would be able to play the next week, but he was on the field to lead the Chiefs to a victory during what became his second Super Bowl title run.
The injury to Mahomes, who threw for just 189 yards with an interception, was merely the latest — and most severe — in a series of setbacks that had turned what had been one of the NFL’s best offenses for the better part of a decade into a shadow of itself.
Kansas City started the game with left tackle Josh Simmons on injured reserve with a fractured wrist, backup Wanya Morris out with a knee injury, right tackle Trey Smith inactive with an ankle injury and right tackle Jawaan Taylor dealing with a triceps injury.
Backup right tackle Jaylon Moore hurt his knee during the game, too, leaving journeyman Esa Pole and Chukwuebuka Godrick — an international pathway player who had never appeared in an NFL game — to protect Mahomes down the stretch.
The Chiefs also were missing Marquise Brown, who was inactive while dealing with a family matter, and fellow wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, who was crushed by Chargers cornerback Tony Jefferson after a 20-yard catch and was evaluated for a concussion.
Another receiver, Xavier Worthy, missed part of the game while clearing the concussion protocol.
It hasn’t just been the offense where the injuries have mounted for the Chiefs.
They began the game without Trent McDuffie, who was inactive with a knee injury. Then in a span of three straight plays, they lost linebacker Nick Bolton, defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback Jaylen Watson, though each eventually returned.
“We have a lot of guys who are very resilient in our locker room,” Jones said. “We all knew what was at stake. We all wanted to be part of this game. We were looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the outcome we hoped for, but everyone battled.”