Not only did the Kansas City Chiefs lose their Week 15 game to a bitter division rival, but the repercussions were even worse.
The reigning AFC champs won’t make it back to the postseason. Additionally, the face of the franchise went down with a scary late-game injury against the Los Angeles Chargers.
On a first-and-10 in the fourth quarter, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to sustain a left knee/leg injury. The two-time MVP remained on the ground for quite a while, later being helped to the sideline.
Andy Reid Gives First Thoughts on Patrick Mahomes Injury Against Chargers
After some preliminary evaluations, Mahomes was assisted to the locker room by Chiefs staff. At the time of his injury, he’d completed 16 of 28 passes for 189 yards.
Footage was captured of Mahomes, with a towel draped over his head, putting minimal weight on his left leg.
What’s the early outlook on Mahomes’ injury? Speaking to the media following Sunday’s 16-13 loss, head coach Andy Reid offered his initial thoughts.
“As far as the injuries go, Patrick hurt his left knee,” Reid began. “We’ll get an MRI tomorrow or this evening, whenever they get him in there. And then Jaylon Moore, likewise, left knee. And then [Tyquan] Thornton, he got hit in the head. We’ll just see where he’s at — he’s in the (concussion) protocol right now.”
Reid didn’t offer more specifics about Mahomes’ knee.
“I don’t know, but I mean, it didn’t look good,” Reid said. “You guys saw it. We’ll just see where it goes.”
Mahomes had already been on the injury report for Weeks 14 and 15 with a knee ailment. He never missed a practice, though, being a full participant out on the field every day.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew relieved Mahomes. He went 3-for-5 with 22 passing yards and a game-sealing interception to close things out.
Frustrating Season for Mahomes & Chiefs Winding Down
To say it’s been a trying year for Mahomes and company would be an understatement.
Week 15’s shortcoming dropped Kansas City to 6-8 on the year, officially eliminating them from playoff contention. A multitude of issues such as drops, poor late-down and late-game execution and stale play-calling decisions have held them back. Injuries to key players along the offensive line certainly haven’t helped.
Mahomes himself hadn’t played his best, either. Sunday marked his fourth game since Week 9 without a passing touchdown. It was his fifth in that span with at least one interception, too.
In all, he’s completed 315 of 502 passes, which makes for a career-low 62.7 completion percentage. He’s sitting at 22 touchdowns, his worst when excluding a one-game rookie campaign, and an 89.6 passer rating that qualifies as the same.
It hasn’t been all doom and gloom for Mahomes, however. According to SumerSports, entering Sunday, he ranked fourth among all quarterbacks in total EPA with 97.47. Part of that is thanks to what he’s done with his legs.
Mahomes came into Week 15 at 26.82 rush EPA, trailing only Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26.86) and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills (34.43). In just 13 games prior to Sunday, he’d already set a new personal record with 407 rushing yards. His 4 broken tackles also marked a career-high.
Now, all eyes turn to the next steps to get Mahomes back to 100%.
