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NFL gasps as Patrick Mahomes injures knee in Chiefs' victory vs. Broncos

DENVER — The Kansas City Chiefs decided to run a quarterback sneak against the Denver Broncos with their already banged-up quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was MVP of the league last season.

It didn’t turn out well Thursday night. And the face of the franchise — and one of the biggest stars in the league — left with a bad looking injury.

Mahomes got the first down but stayed down on the turf. Chiefs players waved for the medical staff to come out. The cart was on its way out when Mahomes got to his feet. He walked off the field, with help, and then walked to the locker room.

The Chiefs’ medical staff seemed to be putting his knee back in place after they reached him.

Mahomes’ injury appears to be a dislocated kneecap, not a fracture, a source told Yahoo Sports’ Terez Paylor.

Mahomes got a nice hand from the Broncos crowd when he got to his feet, and multiple Broncos players went over to wish him well. The Chiefs ruled him out for the game a few minutes after he left the field.

The Chiefs were ahead 10-6 early in the second quarter before Mahomes’ injury. They went on to cruise, 30-6, with backup QB Matt Moore leading the offense. Moore finished 10-of-19 for 117 yards and one touchdown pass, a 57-yarder to Tyreek Hill.

Andy Reid optimistic after Mahomes’ injury

Fox’s Erin Andrews reported that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told her at halftime that Mahomes is “going to be OK,” but didn’t give any diagnosis. According to Andrews, Reid also said that Mahomes told him, “... I’m going to be fine, Coach.”

After the game, Reid told reporters that Mahomes was “in a good place. He was in a good place on the field. ...

“He refused to get in that cart.”

Mahomes took to Twitter to share the optimism, saying “Everything looking good so far!”

There are a couple examples of quarterbacks returning fairly quickly from a kneecap injury. In 2008, when Mark Sanchez was at USC, he dislocated his kneecap in practice on Aug. 8. He started USC’s opener on Aug. 30. When Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was a rookie in 2009, he suffered a dislocated kneecap in a game. He missed two more games.

A dislocated kneecap can also require surgery.

Mahomes has injured his ankle on multiple occasions this season, the first time coming back in the season opener. He hasn’t yet missed a game with those injuries, though his play has been affected the past couple weeks as he limped around.

The biggest concern wasn’t for the rest of the game, but if the Chiefs had lost their phenomenal quarterback for a long time.

"Whatever direction this thing goes,” Reid said, “we'll be good."

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes left Thursday night's game with an injury. (Getty Images)
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes left Thursday night's game with an injury. (Getty Images)

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