The Kansas City Chiefs entered Sunday clinging to slim playoff hopes, but unfortunately, their situation went from bad to worse. Taking on the Los Angeles Chargers at home, it appeared the Chiefs were on the verge of tying or winning the game late in the fourth quarter before the unthinkable happened.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down and stayed down, clutching the lower part of his leg. After trainers checked on the fallen Chiefs star, he eventually left the game and did not return. Veteran backup Gardner Minshew then stepped in as his replacement but was unable to lead Kansas City to a victory.
Minshew finished 3-of-5 for 22 yards with an interception in his limited time on the field. He will now take on a much bigger role, given reports that Mahomes is done for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Typically, Mahomes takes the podium to speak with the media after wins or losses. However, with the veteran Minshew replacing him both in the game and at the press conference, he addressed the loss, the injury, and taking over the team.
“I feel very comfortable to go in and execute the offense. You know, hate that situation, that I couldn’t deliver a win and keep our hopes alive,” Minshew told reporters.
Minshew summed up the emotions of watching what Mahomes has gone through—and then seeing what happened today.
“Yeah, it’s very frustrating. It’s been hard to watch for Pat. That dude puts so much into it. I don’t think I’ve ever respected a player I’ve played with more. I’ve never seen anybody I play with give so much of themselves to the team. To not get the results is hard, but I have more confidence in him than anybody to come back and be better than ever,” he said.
He didn’t get to speak with the Chiefs quarterback much after the game but said Mahomes’ spirits were “down” and “nobody’s better for it.”
In addition to the injury, Mahomes suffered a rough performance, throwing for 189 yards and an interception, and taking five sacks for a loss of 21 yards. He scored a rushing touchdown but was unable to connect with any receivers for an end zone score.
“I feel comfortable. I’ll do whatever the coaches ask of me, and we’ll go try to win some games,” Minshew told reporters about handling the final games.
The Chiefs are Minshew’s fifth team, as he has previously been with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and Las Vegas Raiders.
With the loss, Kansas City dropped to 6-8 and is officially out of the playoff hunt. It appears they could turn to Minshew to close out a disappointing season, after both their playoff hopes and Mahomes’ season ended.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nfl/gardner-minshew-reacts-to-taking-over-chiefs-amid-patrick-mahomes-injury-11210625