Kansas City can at least exhale a little bit now.
A day after suffering the double-whammy of superstar Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL and the team being eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2014, Chiefs coach Andy Reid revealed some good news surrounding his quarterback’s left knee.
An MRI exam after Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Chargers showed Mahomes has no other major damage to ligaments. He underwent surgery on Monday and will “begin the rehab process immediately,” per the Chiefs.
hiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes grabs his knee after being injured during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers. AP“He’ll attack it, just like he does everything else,” Reid told reporters Monday of Mahomes’ rehab process. “There have been some pretty good quarterbacks who have had the same injury, and they’ve done pretty well after they came back. He’ll get after it, and he’s got good people here to rehab him. He’ll be right on top of all of that.
“As long as the surgery goes well, as expected, then I would expect a fairly quick recovery for him, just because of those factors.”
If there was damage to other ligaments it could have delayed surgery.
It’s the first major injury for the 30-year-old, who rose to superstardom thanks to his ability to scramble and revive plays, leading the Chiefs to three of the past four Super Bowls.
He was hurt scrambling outside of the pocket as he threw for a completion and his knee buckled.
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs throws a pass as Da’Shawn Hand #91 of the Los Angeles Chargers applies pressure. Getty Images“I’ve had a good visit with him a couple different times,” Reid said. “He’s in a good place. He feels like he let people down. He’s ready for the challenge ahead. He’s just got to get through surgery, wherever it might be. I know he’ll come out on the strong end of this.”
Mahomes, who signed the then-largest contract in NFL history with a 10-year, $450 million pact that began in 2020, is the franchise’s all-time leading passer with 35,939 yards and 267 touchdowns over 126 games in nine seasons.
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This season, he threw for 3,587 yards with 22 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, adding career highs with 422 rushing yards and five scores on the ground.
“Don’t know why this had to happen,” Mahomes wrote on social media. “And not going to lie, [it] hurts. 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.”
