Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, a blow that ended theKansas City Chiefs‘ playoff run as an expert outlines the steps ahead for the star quarterback.
The injury occurred with just 1:53 remaining, and an MRI confirmed its severity revealing the damage, after it occurred as Mahomes scrambled outside the pocket and was taken down from behind by Chargers defender Da’Shawn Hand, hyperextending his left knee.
Mahomes finished the day completing 16 of 28 passes for 189 yards, including a 12-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. This season he passed for 3,587 yards with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
“An MRI has confirmed that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes sustained a torn ACL in his left knee in today’s game. Patrick and the club are currently exploring surgical options,” the Kansas City announced, shutting him down for the season.
Rehabilitation key for Mahomes
Now Dr. Jesse Morse, a Sports Medicine physician and NFL injury expert, advised a proactive and comprehensive approach to Mahomes‘ recovery.
“The majority (75%) of ACL tears are non-contact,” Morse wrote via X.com. “That means the ligament was already significantly loose and weakened before the event that caused the tear.”
Morse recommended modern regenerative therapies like PRP or stem-cell injections, not only for the ACL but for all supporting ligaments and tendons around the knee.
“We have several patients at The Osteopathic Center who are currently NFL players,” Morse added. “That we have injected their ACL and re-stabilized their entire knee. The best course of treatment is preventing the injury from happening in the first place.”
Morse expects surgery would be performed by either Dr. Neal El-Attrache or Dr. Dan Cooper, and he believes the 30-year-old quarterback could potentially return by Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season though some ACL repairs may require up to 18 months of rehabilitation.
“Don’t know why this had to happen,” Mahomes said. “And not going to lie it’s hurts.
“But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again. I Will be back stronger than ever.”
Gardner Minshew issues Mahomes vote of confidence
Backup Gardner Minshew took over, guiding the Chiefs through the final moments as he threw for 22 years to Travis Kelce to try to keep the Chiefs alive, before throwing a costly pick.
A final target to the 36-year-old tight end was intercepted by Derwin James to close out the game with 14 seconds left, and the Chiefs‘ Playoff hopes with it as Justin Herbert kneeled out the game once he got the ball back.
“I don’t think I’ve ever respected anybody I play with more,” Minshew said. “I’ve never seen anybody I play with give so much of themselves to the team.
“I have more confidence in him than anybody to come back better than ever.”
With Mahomes sidelined, Kansas City will likely rely on Minshew as its starter to close the season.
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