It may have been the bitter cold or possibly the helmet-to-helmet shot from Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott, but Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes found himself with a broken helmet on Saturday night in Kansas City.
The frightening scene unfolded in the third quarter when Mahomes scrambled down to the Dolphins’ 3-yard line, where he was met by Elliott and Miami cornerback Kader Kohou.
But it was Elliott who got the best of Mahomes on the play, standing the two-time Super Bowl champion up after a 13-yard scamper as a chunk of red helmet was seen falling to the Arrowhead Stadium turf.
Elliott avoided a targeting penalty on the play and Harrison Butker followed four plays later with a 21-yard field goal to give the Chiefs a 19-7 lead.
Two plays later, officials stopped the game to allow Mahomes to get a new helmet, leading to a confusing moment on the field and in the announcers’ booth.
Mahomes' helmet was broken on this play 😳
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/udjmB9eDLd
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 14, 2024
Patrick Mahomes’ helmet was no match for Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott and the bitter cold
Patrick Mahomes heads to the sideline after his helmet was cracked during the third quarter
‘Kind of interesting,’ NBC’s Mike Tirico said. ‘You don’t see that without having to take a timeout. Obviously player safety is important. And I know it’s Mahomes, but I’m surprised they didn’t have to use a timeout to do that.’
‘Equipment change, they stopped the clock, he really should have to go out or they take a time-out,’ NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay said of the situation.
Many fans immediately voiced concern for Mahomes, who didn’t appear to be evaluated for a concussion.
‘How was he not in the [concussion] tent after this,’ asked one fan.
Many attributed the broken helmet to the weather, with temperatures getting down to around -30 with wind chill.
At one point on Saturday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s mustache appeared to be frozen over entirely.
