The Kansas City Chiefs are out of the playoff race after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15. Making matters worse, they lost quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL.
Andy Reid’s men dropped to 6-8 on the season with a 16-13 defeat to the Chargers, and while they have three games left, they can no longer make the playoffs since the No. 7 Houston Texans have a three-game lead and hold the tie-breaker advantage.
As for Mahomes, he tore his ACL in the closing minutes of Sunday’s game. As he tried to run with the ball, his knee buckled and he fell to the field. He was unable to put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped into the locker room.
A video of his exit showed the Chiefs QB with a towel draped over his head, clearly sad and frustrated by the unfortunate turn of events.
NFL Legend Richard Sherman Speaks on Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes
With the Chiefs’ downfall, fans of other playoff contenders were clearly hyped since their own teams could have the chance to contend for the Super Bowl.
It’s worth noting that the Chiefs, prior to this season, had not missed the playoffs in the Mahomes era. Since he became the starting QB in 2018, Kansas City has made the postseason every year and reached the Super Bowl five times, winning three.
While celebrating one less competitor is understandable, there were unfortunately inappropriate and disrespectful remarks on social media accusing Mahomes of faking his injury as an excuse for the mess the Chiefs are in right now.
Regardless of those talks, however, NFL legend Richard Sherman made sure to remind everyone what the Kansas City franchise has accomplished over the years is worthy of respect.
“Chiefs eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons. That’s a incredible run,” the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback wrote on X.
“To go to the SB 5 of the last 6 seasons is incredible. So many teams struggle to find motivation and consistency after a SB win or loss and for them to sustain the way they have for this long should be respected. Hope Mahomes is ok after a scary injury near the end of the game.”
Sherman certainly couldn’t have said it any better. While the Chiefs missing the playoffs certainly came as a surprise, it doesn’t remove the fact that they have been the most dominant team in the NFL in the past decade.
