Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Chiefs, recently had surgery following an ACL tear incurred during a match against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The injury to his left knee dealt a significant blow to Kansas City’s playoff aspirations, culminating in a disappointing 16-13 defeat on Sunday. Mahomes, a thrice Super Bowl victor, now faces a challenging road to recovery.

On Monday evening, the Chiefs announced that Mahomes had undergone the procedure in Dallas, with Dr. Dan Cooper executing the operation.

The 30-year-old athlete is set to commence his rehabilitation immediately, according to the Chiefs. Mahomes is now in a tight race to regain full fitness ahead of the next season’s kickoff.

Typically, recovering from an ACL tear spans approximately nine months, which projects Mahomes’ return around mid-September 2026.

However, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Mahomes also tore his LCL, which could complicate his recovery time. Yet, he insisted that Mahomes’s rehab period is still not expected to extend beyond nine months. 

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has undergone knee surgery after tearing his ACL

The signal caller tore the ACL in his left knee in the dying minutes of Sunday’s defeat 

In the wake of Sunday’s loss, which saw the Chiefs eliminated from playoff contention, Mahomes vowed that he will ‘be back stronger than ever.’ 

‘[I] don’t know why this had to happen. And not going to lie it hurts,’  the quarterback said. 

‘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.’

With the Chiefs’ season on the line, Mahomes went down with a crushing knee injury late in the fourth quarter of the clash against the Chargers.

Mahomes appeared to suffer an injury to his left knee as he hit the turf at an awkward angle following a tackle by Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand.

The three-time Super Bowl winner stayed down on the turf clutching his knee in pain as Chiefs medical staff rushed to his side.

In an instant blow to Kansas City fans’ hopes, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew immediately began warming up on the sidelines as Mahomes remained down and was examined.

Mahomes eventually managed to get to his feet and hobbled to the sidelines. The devastated signal caller was then seen leaving the field with a towel over his head and was helped to the locker room.

The signal caller was attempting to keep the Chiefs’ playoff hopes alive in the fourth quarter

The three-time Super Bowl winner hobbled off the field and was helped to the locker room 

Minshew stepped in for the injured Mahomes to keep the Chiefs in the playoff hunt with under two minutes left on the clock.

However, as Mahomes limped down the tunnel with the assistance of Chiefs staff, Minshew threw a season-ending interception to Derwin James.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid backed his star quarterback to ‘attack’ the injury – ‘just like he does everything else.’

‘There have been some pretty good quarterbacks that have had the same injury and they’ve done pretty well after they came back,’ Reid said.

‘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.’

The injury could not have come at a worse time for Reid’s team as they headed into the two-minute warning trailing the Chargers by just three.

Mahomes was trying to rally the Chiefs in the closing seconds, completing a series of passes to get across midfield by the two-minute warning.

But on the next play, he was scrambling toward the Kansas City sideline and throwing the ball away when he was spun to the ground by defensive lineman Hand, leaving the two-time MVP clutching his left knee.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid backed his star quarterback to ‘attack’ the injury

Mahomes was taken briefly to the blue injury tent, then helped to the locker room with a towel draped over his head.

Minshew took over and completed three straight passes, giving Chiefs fans hope on a day that began with wind chills near zero and their playoff chances about the same. But with 20 seconds to go, Minshew unloaded a pass intended for Travis Kelce, and James – his longtime divisional foil – leaped up to pick it off, allowing Los Angeles to escape.

Mahomes was held to 189 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Kansas City (6-8) managed just 239 yards as a team.

Kansas City welcomed its longtime rival knowing a loss, coupled with the wrong results in three other games, would eliminate the AFC juggernaut completely.

Mahomes would ultimately end the game in the Kansas City locker room.

The Chargers would ultimately end the Chiefs’ season with one more interception in the final seconds.