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DENVER, COLORADO – NOVEMBER 01: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs leaves the field after his team’s 28-24 loss against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on November 01, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Patrick Mahomes was down, and his right arm was sagging, and everything might’ve changed for the 2026 NFL season.
It’s been a long time since Mahomes was doing his thing for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but he remains a legend who is heavily involved with his former college program. An injury to Mahomes is a big deal, and at first, it looked bad — but maybe it wasn’t as bad as it appeared.
These days, of course, Mahomes has made a case as one of the best quarterbacks of all time.
But on Sunday in the NFL, Mahomes went down. He was clearly injured against the New York Jets.
It’s not clear what might be next for Mahomes, but it was a scary moment for football fans everywhere. Somehow, though, the Chiefs and their superstar avoided the worst.
Update: Mahomes officially returned to the game.
Patrick Mahomes Injury Update
Mahomes dropped back to pass for the Chiefs in the second quarter on Sunday when two Jets defenders closed in on him.
The Chiefs’ QB tried to wind up to throw, but before he could get his arm moving forward, the football was knocked loose.
Mahomes’ right arm was crushed by the defender rushing him from that side, and as he went to the ground, he was crashed into from the other side, too.
The throwing arm of Mahomes might’ve taken multiple hits as he went to the ground.
A Surprising Good Sign for Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes didn’t ever go to the locker room, though.
He didn’t even go into the tent. The Chiefs’ trainers looked at him on the bench area.
He then put his helmet back on and was throwing a football.
After how it looked, it seemed like Mahomes might be able to continue.
Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim’s basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men’s national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen