Patrick Mahomes Faces Season-Ending Injury as Chiefs Miss Playoffs and Eye Major Offseason Reset
For the first time in what feels like forever, the Kansas City Chiefs are on the outside looking in come playoff time. And for Patrick Mahomes, this season didn’t just end early-it ended painfully.
Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in Week 15, marking the first major injury of his storied career. The timing couldn’t have been worse.
The Chiefs had already been teetering on the edge of playoff elimination, and their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers sealed the deal. Now, with Kansas City officially out of the postseason picture, Mahomes is sidelined for the remainder of a campaign that never quite found its rhythm.
The Chiefs have dropped four straight games, and the AFC West has been taken over by the Denver Broncos (12-3) and the Chargers (11-4). That’s a far cry from the dominance we’ve come to expect in the Mahomes era. But this year, Kansas City looked more like a team searching for answers than one setting the pace.
Adding to the sting, Mahomes was left off the Pro Bowl roster for the second consecutive season. It’s a rare sight, considering we’re talking about a three-time Super Bowl champion and one of the most dynamic quarterbacks the league has ever seen.
Instead, the AFC will be represented by Buffalo’s Josh Allen, the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, and New England’s rookie sensation Drake Maye. Mahomes last made the Pro Bowl in 2023, a year he also finished seventh in MVP voting.
Despite the setbacks, Mahomes still put up solid numbers in 2025. He threw for 3,587 yards and 22 touchdowns, and he continued to be a threat on the ground, rushing for 422 yards and five scores.
But for a player of his caliber, “solid” isn’t the standard. He’s built his legacy on game-changing moments and postseason heroics-neither of which materialized this year.
Looking beyond the field, the Chiefs’ long-term future is beginning to take shape in a big way. Kansas City will remain at Arrowhead Stadium through the 2031 season, but after that, the franchise is crossing state lines. Lawmakers have confirmed that the team will move to Kansas, where a brand-new domed stadium awaits.
The new facility will carry a hefty $3 billion price tag, with the state picking up 60% of the bill-roughly $2.4 billion in bonds. It’s a massive investment that signals a new chapter for one of the NFL’s flagship franchises. Arrowhead has been home since 1972, but the future is being built across the border.
As the Chiefs head into the 2025 offseason, the questions are bigger than just how Mahomes will recover. This is a team that’s suddenly at a crossroads.
The dynasty isn’t dead, but it’s definitely in need of a reboot. Whether that means changes on the sideline, in the front office, or across the roster, something has to give if Kansas City wants to reclaim its place atop the NFL.
For now, the Chiefs will have to watch the postseason from home-a rare sight in the Mahomes era. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that you don’t count out No. 15 for long.