Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL in his left knee Sunday, the team announced, ending his season the same day the Chiefs’ playoff hopes were dashed.
Mahomes was rolling out to his right and throwing the ball away with under two minutes to go in Kansas City’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers when he injured his knee. He was removed from the game and replaced by backup Gardner Minshew, who promptly threw an interception a few plays later.
“Don’t know why this had to happen. And not going to lie it’s hurts,” Mahomes wrote on X. “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 loss dropped the Chiefs to 6-8 and, combined with wins by the Buffalo Bills, the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars, eliminated Kansas City from playoff contention. And now Mahomes will miss the rest of the team’s three regular season games.
The injury ends what was a frustrating season for Mahomes and the Chiefs.
A year after Mahomes led the team to its fifth Super Bowl appearance in six seasons, Kansas City will now miss the playoffs entirely.
Last season, Mahomes had a 12-0 record in one-score games. This season, the Chiefs fell to 1-7 in such contests with Sunday’s loss. Mahomes’ struggles were part of the problem, as his 89.6 passer rating and 62.7% completion percentage were the lowest marks of his career since he became a starter in 2018.
In a must-win game against Los Angeles, Mahomes wasn’t his best. He completed only 57.1% of his passes for 189 yards and didn’t throw for a touchdown, and he threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter.
Mahomes, 30, is in the fourth year of a 10-year, $450 million contract extension he signed with Kansas City in 2020. He is under contract through 2031.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, won’t be in the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season. Kansas City had also won the AFC West every year since 2015.
Mahomes, who became the team’s starter in 2018 after having sat the majority of his rookie season, won’t make the AFC championship game for the first time since he became Kansas City’s starting quarterback.
