Here’s what happens next with Patrick Mahomes’ cracked Kansas City Chiefs helmet
Patrick Mahomes’ helmet, the one that was cracked by a hit during Saturday night’s NFL playoff game against the Miami Dolphins, will soon belong to him.
“They’re testing it right now, but I’m adamant on getting the helmet after,” Mahomes said of the headgear, which he wore during the Wild Card-round game played in subzero weather conditions. “It’s definitely something that’s cool, that I’ll be able to keep for a long time.”
The manufacturer of the helmet said the headgear did its job.
“Extreme conditions like those experienced in Saturday evening’s NFL playoff game are bound to test the limits of even the highest performing products,” VICIS said in a statement posted on X. “While outer shell damage is not ideal, the ZERO2 helmet did its job of protecting Patrick Mahomes during a head-to-head impact during unprecedented cold temperatures.’‘
Mahomes agreed with the manufacturer that the helmet, while looking worse for wear afterward, worked. He remained in the game after the play, albeit in a different helmet.
“It did its job. I was perfectly fine afterwards,” Mahomes said. “Obviously they don’t want it to crack, but it did absorb (the blow). It’s definitely something I’ll keep.”
Mahomes had difficultly wearing the replacement helmet, which had frozen during the course of a game that kicked off at minus-4 with a wind chill factor of minus-27, making it the the fourth-coldest game in NFL history.
A ill-fitting helmet isn’t expected to be an issue when the Chiefs hit the road to play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in the Divisional Round.
“We’re finding a (warm) place to store the helmet for the next game,” Mahomes said.
On the New Heights podcast that Travis Kelce co-hosts with his brother Jason, the Chiefs tight end said he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“That was wild,” Travis Kelce said. “That was ridiculous. I’ve never seen that ever in my life. I’m looking at this guy telling me the play and I’m looking through his helmet at the skin on his head and I’m just like you’re not allowed to play with this. You’re not.”
Two more plays occurred after Mahomes’ first-down run before he exchanged helmets.
“By the way, that’s like a weapon of war. You know what I mean? That’s like an antique at this point. He’ll remember that helmet forever. He’s got to get that thing dipped in gold.”
Pete Grathoff contributed to this story
This story was originally published January 17, 2024 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Here’s what happens next with Patrick Mahomes’ cracked Kansas City Chiefs helmet."