Overview
- Mahomes injured his left knee with 1:46 remaining after being brought down near the sideline by Da'Shawn Hand and did not return.
- The 16-13 loss to the Chargers dropped Kansas City to 6-8 and officially ended the franchise’s playoff streak dating to 2014.
- The Chiefs announced the torn ACL after an MRI and have not set a timetable for surgery as medical staff evaluate next steps.
- Gardner Minshew replaced Mahomes and threw a late interception that sealed the defeat; he is expected to start the remaining regular-season games.
- Mahomes posted on X that the setback “hurts” and vowed to return “stronger than ever,” while teammates, including Chris Jones, reacted emotionally to the elimination.