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Patrick Mahomes’ First Post After Chiefs Miss NFL Playoffs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Jan 6, 2026 1:09 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs ended the 2025 NFL season on a six-game losing streak, finishing with a 6-11 record after a 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18. After reaching the Super Bowl in five of the past six seasons, Kansas City missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Part of the reason for the poor end to the season was the absence of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter of a Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The two-time NFL MVP finished the season with 3,587 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is attended to by team medical staff following an injury during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.© Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Mahomes was active on X after his injury, as he reacted to plays from longtime teammates like tight end Travis Kelce while he watched from home over the final weeks of the season.

Two days after the loss to the Raiders mercifully ended the Chiefs' 2025 season, Mahomes made his first solo Instagram post since Nov. 8. He expressed his head space headed into a long offseason of recovery.

View this post on Instagram

Chiefs players like Carson Steele and Chukwuebuka Godrick chimed in with support for their QB in the comments. His wife, Brittany Mahomes, shared the post on her Instagram story with the caption, "My guy."

Mahomes' caption featuring a single clock emoji mirrored Instagram posts he made in the past, but it may have a new meaning after suffering the devastating injury last month.

On Monday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shared that Mahomes was "doing great" three weeks after having surgery on his torn left ACL and LCL. The 30-year-old quarterback decided to stay in Kansas City instead of traveling with the team to the Week 18 game in Las Vegas so that he could continue his aggressive course of rehab.

The typical return timeline for Mahomes injury is around nine months. He is pushing to return in time for the start of the 2026 NFL season in September.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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