The Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15, but the state of their franchise quarterback is at top of mind.
Patrick Mahomes suffered a left knee injury late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and is set to undergo an MRI either Sunday night or Monday, head coach Andy Reid told reporters after the game.
Reid did not speculate on the severity of the injury, but he said that the play "didn't look good."
Mahomes suffered the injury while trying to extend a play to his right, throwing the ball away just before his left leg was twisted awkwardly as he planted his foot and Chargers defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand brought him down.
Mahomes instantly grabbed his left knee in pain as the team's medical staff rushed toward the two-time Most Valuable Player. He needed assistance getting to his feet and draped his arms over the shoulders of trainers as he limped to the locker room.
"Don’t know why this had to happen. And not going to lie it’s hurts," Mahomes later posted on the social media website, 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 and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I Will be back stronger than ever."
Gardner Minshew replaced Mahomes with the Kansas City's playoff hopes on the line.
Down 16-13 with 1:53 remaining and the ball at the Chargers 46-yard line, Minshew completed three short passes before Derwin James intercepted his fifth pass attempt of the drive to end the game and eliminate a divisional rival from an 11th-consecutive postseason berth.
Mahomes was constantly harassed by L.A.'s defense before suffering the injury, getting sacked five times and sustaining several more hits while the Chargers pass rush pressured him on 48.6% of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats.
It amounted to a trying effort on Sunday for Mahomes, who went 16-of-28 passing for 189 yards, including one brutal interception early in the fourth quarter that led to a long Chargers possession that took seven-plus minutes off the clock.
While the Chiefs defense did their part, Mahomes and Co. had a chance to wipe away another rough outing with a game-winning drive.
Instead, Mahomes' health was the concern as the Chiefs went on to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014.