Patrick Mahomes’ helmet cracks on hard hit from Dolphins defender

Patrick Mahomes was out there on Saturday night looking like a battered Optimus Prime.

During the Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins Wild Card game in frigid temperatures, Mahomes scrambled for the end zone in the third quarter. Though he was able to pick up 13 yards and a first down, Mahomes was stopped short of the goal line by a hard hit from Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott. The hit was so brutal that a piece of Mahomes’ helmet visibly broke off. Take a look at the crazy video.

The damage to Mahomes’ helmet was very obvious, and he eventually had to get a replacement from the sideline (though Mahomes did manage to finish out the drive with the totaled piece of headgear).

With the temperature dipping below zero at GEHA Field for the game, it is very possible that the extreme cold conditions compromised the integrity of Mahomes’ helmet and left it more susceptible to getting cracked. Mahomes then proceeded to throw a pair of incompletions on the ensuing set of downs (forcing Kansas City to settle for a field goal), so maybe his ears were ringing a bit too.

For as many hits as there are in the NFL, cracked helmets are a pretty rare occurrence. It has happened in the postseason before though as there is definitely a different intensity when it comes to playoff football.