Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes out for season with torn ACL
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Sunday, the team announced, ending his season the same day the Chiefs’ playoff hopes were dashed.
Mahomes was rolling to his right and throwing the ball with less than two minutes remaining 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.
“I don’t know why this had to happen. And I’m not going to lie, it hurts,” Mahomes wrote on
The loss dropped the Chiefs to 6-8 and, combined with wins by the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, eliminated Kansas City from the playoffs. And now Mahomes will miss the remainder of the team’s three regular season games.
The injury ends 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 was 12-0 in games with just one score. 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 percent 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 at his best. He completed just 57.1 percent of his passes for 189 yards and didn’t throw 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, will not make 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 sitting out most of his rookie season, will not play in the AFC Championship Game for the first time since becoming Kansas City’s starting quarterback.
