The news surrounding quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ season-ending ACL tear dominated the NFL’s Monday headlines, as players, coaches, and analysts across the league reacted to the reality that the face of the Kansas City Chiefs will not take another snap in 2025.
Although Kansas City’s postseason hopes are gone, three games remain on the schedule. The next one is a trip to Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans, whose rookie quarterback Cam Ward expressed disappointment at losing the opportunity to face the three-time
Super Bowl MVP.
“It’s sad, because since he got into the league he’s been very productive every year,” he said after the Titans’ 37-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. “Not getting an opportunity to go against him? Everything happens for a reason; I know God has a plan for him. Prayers his way.”
Defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons also offered thoughts on the Chiefs’ injured starter.
“It’s always great when I have a chance to play against him,” he said. “ [He’s] very competitive. It sucks to see him go down like that. I heard it was kind of a nasty injury, so prayers to him.”
During his Monday media availability, the Titans’ interim head coach Mike McCoy expressed his regret over the injury, calling it one of the unfortunate realities of NFL life.
“It’s really an unfortunate situation,” noted McCoy. “We wish nothing but the best for Pat — and a speedy recovery. We know [that] with who he is, he’ll be back stronger than ever. But this is the bad part of the business.”
Unfortunately, even the loss of a franchise quarterback does not pause the league’s calendar.
“When you get in a situation like that, it’s not going to be just the quarterback,” added McCoy. “It’s so many other people. The rest of the entire team has to pick up their game — because you can’t replace somebody like that, right? Just knowing when he walks out there — and he’s next to you in your huddle — what that player means. Because you know when Pat Mahomes is playing, you always have a chance to win — regardless [of] what the score is.”
Kansas City now faces a reality it has not faced since Mahomes became the starter in 2018: multiple regular-season games with nothing to play for — and no football on tap after Week 18. Without their respected leader, the team will now be led by journeyman backup quarterback Gardner Minshew for the final three games of the season.
