Patrick Mahomes suffers a torn ACL and Chiefs say he's considering surgical options

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL in his left knee while trying to keep the Kansas City Chiefs' postseason hopes alive in the waning seconds of a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, and the two-time MVP quarterback was considering surgical options.

It's the most significant injury of a superlative nine-year career for Mahomes, who has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles and reached the AFC championship game in each of his seven previous seasons as the starter in Kansas City.

This year, the Chiefs won't even make the playoffs, and Mahomes won't be back on the field until sometime in 2026.

“Don’t know why this had to happen,” Mahomes posted on social media before the diagnosis was announced. “And not going to lie it hurts. But all we can do now is trust in God and attack every single day over and over again. Thank you Chiefs kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I Will be back stronger than ever.”

The Chiefs had just crossed midfield with less than two minutes to go Sunday when Mahomes scrambled toward the Kansas City sideline, then tried to get rid of the ball. He was spun to the ground upon release by Chargers defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand, and Mahomes immediately grabbed at his left knee while trainers converged on him.

He was eventually helped to the blue injury tent on the sideline, but Mahomes only stayed there for a few moments. He soon emerged with staff members on either side of him, limping toward the locker room with a white towel draped over his head.

“He will get an MRI tomorrow or this evening,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “whenever we can.”

It turned out to be Sunday night. And the news was what everyone in Kansas City had feared.

“I just hugged him, man,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “That’s my brother. We’ve been through so much. We love Pat.”

Gardner Minshew entered the game and completed three straight passes to give the Chiefs a chance. But he was picked off by Derwin James on a jump ball intended for Travis Kelce with 14 seconds remaining, sealing the Chargers' season sweep of Kansas City.

“I hate the situation. I hate that I couldn’t deliver the win and keep our hopes alive,” Minshew said.

The loss, along with wins by Jacksonville, Buffalo and Houston, eliminated the defending AFC champs from playoff contention.

“It’s very frustrating, man. It’s been hard to watch for Pat, a dude that puts so much into it,” Minshew said. “I’ve never seen someone give so much of themselves to the team. I have confidence in him and his ability to come back better than ever.”

The 30-year-old has dodged severe injuries for most of his career.

The worst previous injury may have come in 2019, when Mahomes dislocated his right kneecap on a quarterback sneak against the Broncos, a fluke injury that may be why Reid has not called another traditional QB sneak in years.

Mahomes has dealt with a concussion, turf toe and other minor injuries, but his most famous may have occurred during the 2022 playoffs, when he sustained a severe high ankle sprain. Questions swirled around whether Mahomes would be able to play the next week, and he not only was on the field but the led the Chiefs to victory, and then to an eventual Super Bowl title.

The injury to Mahomes, who threw for just 189 yards with an interception, was merely the latest — and most severe — in a series of setbacks that had turned what had been one of the NFL's best offenses for the better part of a decade into a shadow of itself.

Kansas City started the game with left tackle Josh Simmons on injured reserve with a fractured wrist, backup Wanya Morris out with a knee injury, right tackle Trey Smith inactive with an ankle injury and right tackle Jawaan Taylor dealing with a triceps injury.

Backup right tackle Jaylon Moore hurt his knee during the game, too, leaving journeyman Esa Pole and Chukwuebuka Godrick — an international pathway player who had never appeared in an NFL game — to protect Mahomes down the stretch.

The Chiefs also were missing Marquise Brown, who was inactive while dealing with a family matter, and fellow wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, who was crushed by Chargers cornerback Tony Jefferson after a 20-yard catch and was evaluated for a concussion.

Another receiver, Xavier Worthy, missed part of the game while clearing the concussion protocol.

It hasn't just been the Chiefs' offense where the injuries have mounted.

They began the game without Trent McDuffie, who was inactive with a knee injury. Then in a span of three straight plays, they lost linebacker Nick Bolton, defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback Jaylen Watson, though each of them eventually returned.

“We have a lot of guys who are very resilient in our locker room,” Jones said. “We all knew what was at stake. We all wanted to be part of this game. We were looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we didn't get the outcome we hoped for, but everyone battled.”

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes grabs his knee after being injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is injured after being tackled by Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand (91) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gets rid of the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, throws the ball away under pressure from Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack (52) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is pushed out of bounds by Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack, left, during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is checked on after being injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) is checked on after being injured during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — She says she was let down at every step. By a partner who abandoned her when she was pregnant. By a health service that denied her a legal abortion. And by a justice system that sent her to a maximum-security prison for illegally terminating her pregnancy on her own.

Violet Zulu, a house cleaner in Zambia earning $40 a month, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2024 after representing herself in court with little understanding of the consequences of her actions. She didn't see her two children or other family members for nearly two years.

After word of her case reached international rights groups that helped her file an appeal, Zulu was freed last month. Activists say she represents many women in Africa who take desperate decisions when facing barriers to legal abortion services.

Her story has drawn little sympathy in her southern African nation, where parts of society view abortion harshly. Her own mother said she agreed with her daughter's prison sentence, but said it should have been shorter.

Zulu spoke with The Associated Press as she pieces her life together again at the age of 26.

She said she first attempted to access legal abortion services at a public clinic, which should have given her advice or services but turned her away. She then tried a private pharmacy, which requested 800 Zambian kwacha ($43) for abortion drugs, a month's salary for her.

She was already struggling to feed her two young sons, and she sometimes had to beg food from relatives.

She said her decision to drink an herbal concoction she prepared herself, one known for terminating pregnancies, was taken out of despair. She couldn't bear for her boys to have even less food if she had another child.

“I never wanted to abort my pregnancy, but it is the circumstances at home that forced me to do it," Zulu said in the interview at the two-room rented home with no running water that she shares with her children and parents.

“I was scared (when I took the concoction), but I didn’t really care what would happen to me," she added.

In her court testimony, she explained what happened next: She delivered the fetus in a toilet, placed it in a sack and dropped it in a nearby stream. She said she confided in a friend, but word got out and neighbors reported her to police.

Zulu, who left school in the eighth grade, was never offered free legal counsel despite the right to request it. She represented herself in court and pleaded guilty to the offense of procuring her own abortion. She said she didn’t understand the legality of abortion and thought she would receive a warning.

“This is a system that failed Violet,” said Rosemary Kirui, a legal adviser for Africa for the abortion rights group Center for Reproductive Rights, which campaigned for Zulu’s release and helped with her appeal. “It is not that she did not try. It is that she could not afford the services, yet she should be able to access them as a citizen of Zambia.”

Zulu should have been eligible for a free abortion under a provision that allows doctors in Zambia to consider risks to the well-being of her existing children, said Sharon Williams, country director for the Women and Law in Southern Africa advocacy group.

But Zulu was not aware of that, largely because of the secrecy, stigma and shame around abortion, which is not advertised by Zambia's public health system.

Zambia's health ministry did not respond to questions about her case.

Part of the problem, Williams said, is that Zambia has legalized abortion while also defining itself in its constitution as a strongly Christian country.

Abortions are still largely restricted in Africa, with few countries allowing them for reasons other than threats to the health of the mother or the fetus. Even in countries like Zambia, religious beliefs, conservative values rooted in local cultures or a lack of information make access to legal procedures difficult, according to health and rights groups.

Williams said Zulu’s case ought to lead to a national conversation over whether Zambian authorities should better educate communities over the legal right to abortion.

“I think now that we have this judgment, we’re ready for the conversation," she said.

Activists say desperate women turn to unsafe abortions. Africa and Latin America have the highest proportions of them, with approximately 75% of all abortions in Africa deemed unsafe, according to the World Health Organization.

The Guttmacher Institute health rights organization estimated in a 2019 report that over 6 million unsafe abortions a year occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. It noted that Zambia's abortion law “tended to be a ‘paper law’ rather than one that ensures widespread access.”

In South Africa, which claims to have the most progressive laws on the continent, abortion has been legal for nearly 30 years. It is allowed on request before 13 weeks of pregnancy and for several reasons before 21 weeks.

But studies estimate only 7% of public health facilities there offer abortion services.

In 2023, the case of a 14-year-old who was denied an abortion by South African health workers three times for reasons that were not valid prompted a national reality check. After an urgent court case, a judge ordered that the girl be allowed to have an abortion, which was performed on the last day eligible by law.

At the time, a representative of the social justice group that represented the girl said South Africa's abortion laws were being undermined by "the abuse of medical knowledge by health care professionals" in trying to prevent abortions.

In Zambia, Zulu said she still felt bad about what she did but must now provide for her sons. She was looking for work again, she said.

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

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The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Violet Zulu, who was sent to a maximum-security prison after she was denied a legal abortion and ended her pregnancy on her own, poses for a photograph in Lusaka, Zambia, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Kille)

Violet Zulu, who was sent to a maximum-security prison after she was denied a legal abortion and ended her pregnancy on her own, poses for a photograph in Lusaka, Zambia, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Kille)