When the NFL is at its best, Patrick Mahomes is making impossible, no-look, sidearm throws that travel a million yards downfield. When the NFL is at its worst, Patrick Mahomes is lying on the turf, head in his hands, in pain.
The NFL’s reigning MVP suffered a dislocated right kneecap in the second quarter of the Chiefs’ 30-6 win over the Broncos on Thursday night and underwent an MRI on Friday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Chiefs received a “best-case scenario” as the results showed no additional damage. Prior to the MRI, the team anticipated that Mahomes would miss “about three games,” according to Schefter.
The injury happened on a QB sneak, and Mahomes immediately left the field—at first with the help of trainers before he started walking under his own power—and was soon ruled out of the game.
As Mahomes was on the ground, Kansas City medical staff seemingly popped his knee back into place. Mahomes was ruled out of the game almost immediately and his girlfriend and dad were allowed into the locker room to see him.
Mahomes came into this game nursing an ankle injury that had limited him the past two weeks. Many will question coach Andy Reid’s decision to send his hurting quarterback on a sneak, but it’s also worth noting that the two injuries appear to be completely unrelated. It was Mahomes’s left ankle that has been injured this season, but his right knee that he hurt Thursday night.
While Mahomes’s knee injury does not appear to be as severe as initially feared, every NFL fan can agree: This sucks. Mahomes is one of the most fun players in the league, in addition to being the superpowered engine that drives an electric Chiefs offense. Without him, Kansas City is in trouble, as the team went 0-2 with him hobbled and didn’t look like themselves. Backup Matt Moore looked good filling in for Mahomes against the Broncos, completing 10 of 19 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. But the 35-year-old journeyman will have a tough time leading the Chiefs through a brutal stretch. After Thursday, the Chiefs’ next three games are against the Packers, Vikings, and Titans.
This piece was updated at 2:10 p.m. ET on October 18 with additional information after publication.
