Injuries dominated the aftermath of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. The defeat dropped Kansas City to 6-8 — and combined with other results from the NFL’s early
slate, the loss officially eliminated the Chiefs from postseason contention.
The league’s attention now turns to quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ left knee after it appeared to buckle on the first play following the fourth quarter’s two-minute warning. Mahomes limped to the sideline and was assisted into the locker room.
After the game, head coach Andy Reid said Mahomes would undergo an MRI either Sunday evening or Monday. Reid also provided brief updates on tackle Jaylon Moore and wide receiver Tyquan Thornton.
“As far as the injuries go,” Reid said, “Patrick hurt his left knee. We’ll get an MRI tomorrow or this evening, whenever they get him in there. Then Jaylon Moore, likewise, left knee. Then Thornton got hit in the head. We’ll just see where he’s at, but he’s in the protocol right now.”
Moore returned after an apparent knee injury on the opening drive but later exited again. Thornton absorbed a violent hit from Chargers safety Tony Jefferson and entered the league’s concussion protocol.
Pressed for additional clarity on Mahomes’ status, Reid offered little — and didn’t sound optimistic.
“I don’t know, but it didn’t look good,” Reid said. “You guys saw it. We’ll just see where it goes.”
Jefferson was ejected for the hit on Thornton.
“The league — they took care of it,” Reid said of the incident. “It was what happened. It was one of those kinds of hits. There were a couple of those. They got him on that one.”
On a brutally cold afternoon, the Chiefs rotated players in and out throughout a highly physical contest. Linebacker Nick Bolton, defensive tackle Chris Jones, cornerback Jaylen Watson and wide receivers Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy all appeared shaken up at various points.
Jones was treated on the sideline for a hamstring issue. Worthy briefly entered concussion protocol in the first half but was quickly cleared.
Reid acknowledged the physical nature of the game and credited his players for fighting through it. Still, he emphasized that execution — not injuries — ultimately decided the outcome.
“It was physical,” Reid said. “The guys — I appreciate that. They battled. It wasn’t for a lack of effort or battling. We just had some mistakes that cost us.”
