The Kansas City Chiefs took care of business on Thursday night, beating the Denver Broncos 30-6 to snap their two-game losing streak. However, the game cost them their most valuable player, with no clear timetable for his return.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes dislocated his right kneecap in the second quarter of Thursday’s game. He injured himself during a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-one, with Kansas City near the goal line. The medical staff attended to Mahomes on the field, appearing to pop his knee cap back into place, and helped him off of the field.
Mahomes, 24, then went to the locker room for a closer look, walking on his own but with a visible limp. The Chiefs ruled him out just minutes after he left the game. The severity of the injury was not given, but coach Andy Reid said Mahomes told him that he was going to be OK on his way off of the field.
Even though the knee cap was presumably popped back into place, Mahomes will now undergo an MRI to determine if there is any ligament damage. According to sources, if there is any ligament damage, the best-case timeline for Mahomes would be around three weeks. That would mean a return in Week 10 against the Titans on Nov. 10. But there is optimism from Mahomes that this won’t be a serious injury.
“Awesome team win! Love my brothers!” tweeted Mahomes immediately after the game. “Thank you for all the prayers! Everything looking good so far! #GodisGood #ChiefsKingdom”. The reigning MVP even addressed his teammates in the locker room after the game, smiling and in good spirits. He was still limping, with his right leg wrapped in a black sleeve or brace.
Injury-Plagued
This isn’t the first injury that Mahomes has dealt with this season. He entered Thursday’s game still dealing with a minor injury to his left ankle, suffered in Kansas City’s Week 5 loss to the Colts when a teammate accidentally stepped on him. He played through the injury last week, a loss against the Texans, and was obviously ready to play against Denver.
Even with the ankle injury, Mahomes was once again off to the races, building off of his MVP season from 2018. The third-year quarterback has 2,180 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, with just one interception. Last season, in his first year as a starter, Mahomes threw for over 5,000 yards and had 50 passing touchdowns.
With Mahomes very likely on the shelf for at least the next game, if not more, Kansas City will turn to the veteran Matt Moore. Moore, 35, was lured out of retirement and signed by the Chiefs in the preseason after Chad Henne broke his ankle.
The journeyman went 10-for-19 for 117 yards against Denver, which included a 57-yard touchdown to Tyreek Hill. He has made 30 starts over his 11-year career, his last one coming in 2017 for the Dolphins.
Moore and the rest of the Chiefs will now have nine days off until their next game, a Sunday night showdown against the Green Bay Packers.
Before the injury to Mahomes, the Chiefs were given 8-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, with 7-2 odds to win the AFC title. Their new post-Mahomes odds will be determined once the status of their franchise quarterback becomes clearer.
