Patrick Mahomes is still feeling the hurt from a serious injury he suffered in the final minutes of the Kansas City Chiefs' match against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The quarterback, 30, tore his left ACL during the game on December 14, capping off what has been a rough season for the Chiefs, who are missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014, especially in the wake of making it to the Super Bowl three times in a row.
The team confirmed on social media with an official statement: "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."
Patrick himself took to X to break his silence after the injury and loss, writing: "Don't know why this had to happen. 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," he continued. "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."
Chiefs' reactions
Per the team's official transcript, head coach Andy Reid reflected on their loss with: "Guys are down. They busted their butt to win the game, and I wouldn't expect anything less. It's not a great feeling. I wouldn't expect it to be after losing a game."
One viral moment involved Chris Jones, the team's defensive tackle, not realizing until the post-game press conference that the team had not qualified for the playoffs. He still shared his statement on the loss.
"Every year is a journey. Success is rented every year. Every year you get to rent success and sometimes it doesn't go the way you plan for it to go," he shared. "It's a learning curve for you guys and especially us."
"I think we learned a lot this year and we understand the fact that in order to be successful, it's an everyday thing. It's not one week you put in and next week, no. It's a consistent thing and we have a lot of guys coming back and they know that it's rented every year. Just because last year's team made the Super Bowl, that doesn't guarantee success."
The team's future
While the injury puts Patrick's future in the sport on the line, he will more than likely take the time in the off-season to recover and come back to the team even stronger, especially now that they're not in the playoffs, officially concluding his ninth season. An injury as severe as an ACL tear, though, requires extensive surgery and sometimes as much as nine months of rehabilitation and physical therapy.
It particularly puts into question the future of coach Andy Reid and tight end Travis Kelce, both capping off 13 seasons. Travis' future in particular was heavily questioned after the team's Super Bowl loss against the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this year, although he confirmed he would be back to play for the foreseeable future. There is no word yet on how, or even if, the loss will affect their tenure in the sport.