By Blessing Nweke
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL in his left knee Sunday, ending his season on the same day the franchise’s playoff hopes officially came to an end.
The injury occurred late in Kansas City’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. With under two minutes remaining, Mahomes rolled to his right and attempted to throw the ball away when his left knee buckled. He was removed from the game and replaced by backup Gardner Minshew, who threw an interception a few plays later as the Chiefs’ comeback hopes faded.
“Don’t know why this had to happen. And not going to lie it 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… I will be back stronger than ever.”
The loss dropped Kansas City to 6-8. Combined with victories by the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, the result eliminated the Chiefs from postseason contention. Mahomes will miss the team’s final three regular-season games.
The injury caps a frustrating season for both Mahomes and a Chiefs team that reached five Super Bowls in six seasons prior to this year. After finishing 12-0 in one-score games last season, Kansas City fell to 1-7 in such contests in 2025.
Mahomes’ performance reflected the team’s struggles. His 89.6 passer rating and 62.7% completion percentage were the lowest of his career since becoming a starter in 2018. In Sunday’s must-win game, he completed 57.1% of his passes for 189 yards, failed to throw a touchdown and tossed a costly fourth-quarter interception.
Mahomes, 30, is in the fourth year of a 10-year, $450 million contract extension signed in 2020 and remains under contract through 2031.
The Chiefs will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014, ending a run of nine consecutive AFC West titles. For Mahomes, it will also mark the first season he fails to reach the AFC championship game as Kansas City’s starting quarterback.
Original article
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