In the first game of 2008, Tom Brady’s ninth NFL season and eighth as a starter, he suffered a torn ACL. On Sunday, Patrick Mahomes had the same injury in his ninth NFL season and eighth as a starter.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s Let’s Go! podcast, Brady had some advice for Mahomes.
“The only thing you can do is focus on what’s ahead of you and not look back,” Brady told host Jim Gray. “And just say, ‘OK, this is part of what my career is going to be.’ And a lot of people have gone through it and a lot of people have overcome it. You’ve just got to put as much diligence into the rehab process. And I always feel like the faster you rehab, the faster you can get back to practicing the sport that you know you love. I think sometimes people will pace themselves. Instead of training mode, they’re in rehab mode. I think you gotta get through rehab mode as fast as possible and then you get back to training mode. But that requires an all-out commitment and it’s the same commitment that the great professional athletes make to be great at their profession. When you go through the rehab process, you need that same level of focus and determination.”
Brady nevertheless said it won’t be easy.
“It’s a tough rehab,” Brady said. “It’s one of the toughest rehabs. I just remember every day pushing myself. And it’s always the same amount of pain and discomfort except you’re making progress through that pain and discomfort, which is a hard psychological thing to battle. You feel like, God, every day, it doesn’t feel right. Except you’re gaining range of motion and you’re gaining strength and you are on the road to recovery. So I wish him the very best.”
The difference between Brady and Mahomes is that Brady was a pocket passer. Mahomes relies on mobility, agility, and change of direction. More natural stress will be placed on Mahomes’s new ACL. That may require him to alter his playing style until the knee has fully recovered.
Also, Brady (whose recovery included an infection) had a full year to prepare to play again. Mahomes has fewer than nine months until the 2026 season begins.
Chiefs Clips
After he was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, Chargers safety Tony Jefferson flipped off the Arrowhead Stadium crowd. The double-bird likely draws him a fine this week.
Jefferson apologized after the game for the obscene gestures.
“I was caught up in the moment,” Jefferson said, via Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. “I’m classier than that.”
Jefferson, though, did not apologize for the hit that knocked out Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. Officials threw a flag for unnecessary roughness, and according to coach Jim Harbaugh, it was the NFL’s office in New York that decided to eject Jefferson.
Harbaugh called Jefferson’s hit a “football play.”
Jefferson also thought it was a legal hit.
“You know, I just kind of blacked out a little bit,” Jefferson said. “But I haven’t seen the play. I don’t really play to be, like, a dirty player, so I always feel like I put myself in position to make the plays and hits that are clean. So, I’ll have to take a look at it. I don’t necessarily think it, personally, it was that bad.”
After suffering a season-ending injury on Sunday, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is seeking out more information on his injured knee before finalizing a course of action to repair it.
Kansas City head coach Andy Reid told reporters in his Monday news conference that Mahomes is going to get a second opinion in Dallas from Cowboys team physician, Dan Cooper.
“We’ll just see, we’ll give you updates as we go from there,” Reid said.
Reid added that Mahomes and the team does not currently fear that there was more damage suffered to the quarterback’s knee beyond the ACL.
“No, but these guys normally do that. So, most guys get a second opinion. Probably put it up as much as over 90 percent of the guys do this,” Reid said. “That’s just part of it. That’s what he’s doing.”
Reid referred to the team’s initial statement from Sunday night that noted Mahomes had suffered only a torn ACL when asked again about the extent of the quarterback’s injury.
“We try not to hide too much from you. That’s not our game. I try to keep it right upfront with you,” Reid said. “So, that’s the information that they had and they put it out for you.”
Reid noted he’s talked with Mahomes a couple of different times since the end of Sunday’s loss to the Chargers.
“He’s in a good place,” Reid said. “He always feels like he let people down, but then he comes back and he’s ready for the challenge ahead, which is what’s real right now. He’s just got to get through surgery wherever it might be and then move on from there.
“[H]e’ll attack it — just like he does everything else,” Reid added of Mahomes’ approach to rehabbing his knee. “Been pretty good quarterbacks that have had this same injury and have done pretty well after they came back. So, he’ll get after it. And he’s got good people here to rehab him and, again, he’ll be right on top of all that.”
Because it’s mid-December, there is a chance Mahomes may not be ready for the start of the 2026 season. Reid said he isn’t focused on that at the moment, but wouldn’t put a speedy return past the two-time MVP quarterback.
“Yeah, we’ll cross that as we go,” Reid said. “Brett [Veach] thinks of everything. He jumps in on it and he’s well ahead of all of it. So, I’m not worried about it, that part of it.
“And then Pat, you never know how these rehabs go. I just know he’s got good people that he’ll be working with. I know how aggressive he is on things and as long as the surgery goes well as expected, then I would expect a fairly quick recovery for him — just because of those factors.”
Mahomes ends his 2025 season having completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 3,587 yards with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games.
The aftermath of Sunday’s game in Kansas City centered on Patrick Mahomes’ torn ACL and the Chiefs being eliminated from the playoffs, but it was a significant moment for the Chargers as well.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s field goal with 38 seconds to play in the first half put the Chiefs up 13-3 and turned out to be the final points that the home team scored all day. The Chargers rallied for a touchdown with five seconds to go in the second quarter and then kicked a pair of field goals in the second half to pull out a 16-13 win that solidified their place in the playoff picture.
After the game, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said that he though the final 30 minutes represented the best half the team has played all season.
“It felt like we were going to have to play our best game and I really hoped that,” Harbaugh said, via the team’s website. “I hoped that we’d come and play our best. At halftime, that’s what we said, ‘Let’s go play our best half of football of the season.’ And our guys did. . . . To beat the other team, but beat the crowd . . . had some elements, got to beat the elements, too. It makes you feel like a man. Really proud of our team.”
The Chargers still have some work to do to ensure they continue playing beyond Week 18, but Sunday’s performance provided plenty of reasons to believe they will get the job done.
It was officially the worst day the Chiefs have endured in a long, long time.
The loss to the Chargers, coupled with other outcomes, eliminated the three-time defending AFC champions from playoff contention. And quarterback Patrick Mahomes has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee.
The team announced the injury on Sunday evening, adding that the Chiefs and Mahomes are considering surgical options.
The question becomes when he’ll be available to practice and play. With ACL injuries, time is required. Some players need a full season to get back to normal.
Mahomes relies heavilg on his mobility and agility. Changing directions while buying time naturally puts more stress on the knee.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is set for an MRI on his left knee after injuring it late in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, but head coach Andy Reid said the injury didn’t look good and Mahomes seems to feel the same way about what the tests will show.
Mahomes was hurt while scrambling and went to the locker room after a brief trip to the sideline medical tent. Mahomes didn’t share any specifics about the injury, but he didn’t make it sound like he will be playing football again anytime soon.
“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. 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.”
Sunday’s loss eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention and it looks like there’s a good chance that Gardner Minshew will be playing out the string at quarterback in Kansas City.
The Chiefs’ season officially ended on Sunday, with the mathematical elimination of their playoff chances. And that’s not the worst news.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a left knee injury late in the game.
During his postgame press conference, coach Andy Reid said Mahomes will have an MRI tonight or tomorrow, and “it didn’t look good.”
The knee hyperextended as he was being chased. He was helped to the locker room for evaluation.
His health will be a massive story, if the injury requires surgery and rehab. It could impact his preparation and potentially availability for the start of the 2026 season.
For the first time since 2014, the NFL postseason will not feature the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chargers eliminated their division rival from postseason contention with a 16-13 victory on a cold day in Kansas City.
To add injury to the insult, quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down with an apparent left knee injury late in the fourth quarter on a drive where the Chiefs could have tied or gone ahead. Mahomes hyperextended his left knee as he was being hit and taken to the ground on a play that ended up not counting due to an offensive holding penalty.
Gardner Minshew came in and moved the chains. But he then threw an interception to Derwin James that ended the contest.
The Chiefs came out with a sense of urgency, scoring on their first drive with Mahomes’ 12-yard run. But the club could not score another touchdown and was shut out for the entire second half. Harrison Butker hit field goals of 27 and 47 yards in the second quarter to close out Kansas City’s scoring.
The Chargers also only got in the end zone once, doing it late in the first half. Justin Herbert connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith with five seconds left in the second quarter to pull the Chiefs within three points at halftime.
Cameron Dicker then connected on field goals of 23 and 49 yards in the third quarter to put the Chargers ahead for good.
The Chiefs had a shot at scoring early in the fourth quarter, getting the ball down to the Los Angeles 17. But Mahomes threw an interception to linebacker Daiyan Henley while looking for Kareem Hunt deep down the right side.
Kansas City’s loss ends a remarkable run for the club, which had only missed the postseason once in Andy Reid’s tenure. With Patrick Mahomes as starting quarterback since 2018, the Chiefs had previously finished no worse than overtime of the AFC Championship Game over the last seven seasons.
Now, the Chiefs will enter the offseason needing to answer a lot of questions moving forward.
With the win, the Chargers are now 10-4 on the season and will be on the road to face the Cowboys in Week 16.
At 6-8, Kansas City will be on the road to face the Titans and may not have Mahomes the rest of the way.
The Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention.
They also may be dealing with a significant knee injury to their quarterback.
Patrick Mahomes went down with an apparent left knee injury after throwing a pass that was incomplete with two minutes left in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s eventual loss to the Chargers. The play eventually did not count because of an offensive holding penalty.
Mahomes was rolling to his left when he was brought down by Da’Shawn Hand. Mahomes appeared to hyperextend his left knee as he was trying to get the ball away.
While Mahomes has not missed any practice or playing time, he has been dealing with a left knee injury and has been on the injury report with it. CBS broadcasters Kevin Harlan and Trent Green noted that Mahomes’ knee was far from healthy entering the contest.
Mahomes stayed down on the field for a while before he was helped to the locker room with trainer assistance. The CBS broadcast showed Mahomes not putting much weight on his left leg as he was headed for further evaluation.
Gardner Minshew came in to replace Mahomes and threw an interception to end the Chiefs’ threat to tie the game.
Chargers safety Tony Jefferson has been ejected from the contest against the Chiefs in the fourth quarter.
Jefferson had been delivering hard hits throughout the contest against Kansas City. But on this particular play, he put a helmet-to-helmet blow on Tyquan Thornton.
Thornton was able to walk off the field with trainer assistance.
Jefferson also made an obscene gesture toward the crowd when exiting the field, for which he may be fined.
While that penalty put the Chiefs in good field position, Patrick Mahomes threw an interception to linebacker Daiyan Henley deep in the red zone to keep Kansas City off the board.
The Chargers lead 16-13 early in the fourth quarter.
