Insult to injury: Patrick Mahomes suffers injury as Chiefs' playoff streak comes to an end

When it rains, it pours for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Not only did their 16-13 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers mathematically eliminate them from the playoffs, but they also lost Patrick Mahomes. The former Super Bowl MVP was helped off the field on the Chiefs' final drive after a tackle by Da'Shawn Hand.

Gardner Minshew took the field to replace him and he threw a game-sealing interception as the Chiefs attempted to march down the field for a game-tying field goal.

Mahomes seemed to hyperextend his knee, and he couldn't put any weight on his legs. The Chiefs will provide an update on his condition after further evaluation.

Patrick Mahomes' injury is a fitting end to the Chiefs' season

It couldn't have ended differently. The Chiefs struggled to be at their best all year long, and even when Mahomes played to his usual superstar level, the rest of the team failed to live up to the expectations.

The Chiefs will miss the playoffs for the first time in the Mahomes era, and the season ended with him suffering potentially the first serious injury of his career.

The Chiefs still have three more games left this season, but there's no point in risking further injury for their franchise player.

They will hope that this isn't a long-term issue, but chances are that we've already seen the last of No. 15 this season.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach now faces an uphill battle to fix the roster in the offseason, with just six draft picks, 36 players under contract and virtually no salary cap flexibility. 

This feels like a franchise-changing loss. While Andy Reid and his coaching staff might not be in jeopardy of losing their job, it feels like it was just a matter of time before this team's fortune ended after so many years of dominance.