Patrick Mahomes' mom stunned as Chiefs QB's helmet cracks after vicious clash with Dolphins' DeShon Elliott
Patrick Mahomes' helmet crack was just one of several talking points when the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Miami Dolphins in frigid conditions at the Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.
There was some talk of the game being moved after the precedent New York Governor Kathy Hochul had set with the Steelers-Bills game. Nevertheless, the show must go on, and it did in Kansas City as Mahomes' Chiefs slayed the Dolphins 26-7.
The helmet shattering, though, grabbed eyeballs.
Mahomes' helmet shattered when he took a hit from Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott during the AFC wild-card playoff game.
In what was eventually the fourth-coldest game in NFL history, the officials took a minute to pause the game, unsure of the protocol themselves. Mahomes' teammate, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, eventually had to run out and get a backup helmet for his quarterback.
Patrick Mahomes' mother Randi, who didn't make the trip to Arrowhead to catch the game live, was watching from the comfort of her home. She tweeted in its aftermath:
"This helmet issue and the replays.. makes watching from home absolutely not my favorite. Go my team!! #CHIEFS just tell me the cold broke the helmet."
Patrick Mahomes' helmet cracks, but ex-teammate provides perspective
Mahomes' broken helmet was certainly a spectacle in terms of the violence of the hit in slow motion. However, the Chiefs QB's ex-teammate took to X (formerly Twitter) to provide some perspective.
Mitchell Schwartz, who won one Super Bowl with Mahomes, wrote:
"I don’t think that’s a bad thing? I’d rather have it crack and all the energy go with the pieces that fly off rather than the helmet stay solid and put all the force into the head."
Mahomes told ESPN's Jeff Darlington after the game:
"We have to talk about where we store the backup helmet because it was frozen. I couldn't get it on."
Did Patrick Mahomes get a concussion after the hit?
Mahomes was not evaluated for a concussion, as he did not display any symptoms.
Pro Football Talk pointed out that the league doesn't do concussion evaluations based on the magnitude of the hit, but rather on the player's reaction to the impact. While the protocol may be up for debate, Mahomes ended the game pretty comfortably, wrapping up a neat win against the Dolphins.
Who will the Chiefs play next?
Courtesy of the win over the Dolphins, the Chiefs have moved to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. They now face either the Buffalo Bills or the Houston Texans.
If Josh Allen's Bills wrap up a win agains the Steelers in the postponed game on Monday, they will host the Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs at Highmark Stadium. If the Steelers prevail, that will leave the Chiefs as the second-highest seed in the AFC, which means Houston will have to travel to Arrowhead to take on Kansas City.