Chiefs' Gardner Minshew II sees Patrick Mahomes injury as an 'opportunity'

Journeyman quarterback Gardner Minshew II became the Kansas City Chiefs' temporary starter when Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL and torn LCL in the club's Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. 

That defeat eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention, but that doesn't mean Kansas City's final three games of the season are meaningless for those involved. 

Gardner Minshew II vows to give Chiefs "the best chance to win"

"It’s an opportunity to step in and do my job," Minshew said about unexpectedly rising up the Kansas City depth chart while speaking with reporters on Wednesday, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "Being how there’s a lot of guys that have put a ton of work into this, I owe it to them. I owe it to this coaching staff, this team, this fan base to go out and do my best to give us the best chance to win." 

Also on Wednesday, the Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance hinted that Mahomes, who underwent successful surgery on Dec. 15, wants to return to action for Kansas City's 2026 regular-season opener next September. However, history shows Mahomes could need 11 or even 12 full months of rehab before he's cleared to resume playing.

As for Minshew, the 29-year-old signed a one-year contract to join the Chiefs this past offseason. How he plays through Week 18 could determine whether or not he is Kansas City's QB1 when springtime workouts get underway. Most recently, Minshew made nine starts and played in 10 games as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders last season.  

Gardner Minshew II sends message to Chiefs teammates

"But you know what, you are where you’re at and we have to turn this thing around and go get a win this week," Minshew added about the Chiefs not punting on the rest of the season, even though Kansas City will mostly be playing for pride. "So, that’s where we are."

The 6-8 Chiefs next play at the 2-12 Tennessee Titans this coming Sunday. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Kansas City as a three-point favorite for that game.