Posted on 01/13/2024 9:15:17 PM PST by Red Badger
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had his helmet shattered on a hit from Miami Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott during Saturday night's frigid AFC wild-card playoff game. The Chiefs still won 26-7.
With a game-time temperature of minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit, the game was the fourth-coldest in NFL history, and it was unclear whether the temperature made the shell of Mahomes' helmet more brittle than usual. Regardless, the reigning league MVP was left with a fist-sized chunk of plastic missing from just above his left eye after the clash of helmets on a 13-yard scramble deep in Dolphins territory.
Rarely do helmets fail in such a manner. But then again, rarely is it below zero at kickoff of a football game.
Mahomes ran two more plays before officials made him get a backup helmet from the sideline. He threw another incomplete pass and Kansas City kicked a field goal on fourth down to take a 19-7 lead, and Mahomes spent the ensuing Miami possession fiddling with the replacement helmet on the sideline in an effort to make it comfortable.
It was wind gusts, whipping through at more than 25 mph and driving the wind chill to a bone-rattling minus-27 degrees, that made the weather truly miserable for just about everyone.
That included pop star Taylor Swift, who once again turned up to see her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
She at least got to watch from an enclosed suite. Most fans huddled outside in parkas, ski goggles and snow pants, and players huddled around heaters on the sidelines as if they were an oasis in the cold. The National Weather Service issued a warning for what it called "dangerously cold" weather that had blanketed the Midwest.
The icy winter weather has blanketed much of the U.S. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned of a "dangerous storm" as she announced that the Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers NFL playoff game was postponed from Sunday to Monday. Residents of the county that includes Buffalo were told to stay off the roads starting at 9 p.m. Saturday, with the forecast calling for 1 to 2 feet or more of snow and winds gusting as high as 65 mph.
Lombardiball
Global warming in full effect.
Johnny Carson would have said: it was soooo cold....
Was anyone penalized for the head-to-head contact? (That clip was all the football I’ve watched, this year.)
My first thought was well, and I haven’t watched since the kneeling business. 😁
Thinking back, I watched a couple of regional HS games... because they preempted my usual shows.
Is there still some of that kneeling business going on ?
I live in KC and my north facing dining room window is frosted over on the inside. I know it’s colder in other places, but the wind and wind chill sure is doing a number here!
Interesting point
It appears to me the KC guy dropped his head and initiated the head to head on the . tackler. It's usually the other way around and the one who drops their head is penalized.
I’d say the helmet did its job and kept mahones head from sustaining serious injury even if it broke.
Xtreme cold makes plastics brittle, so I’m not surprised. I am surprised his was the only one.................
If you play pickleball, you’ll know that the ball is very vulnerable to cracking in cold weather.
I’m in Florida.
We don’t have that problem..................😁
“The Frozen Tundra Of Lambeau Field...”
CC
Boeing must make the helmets.
Chargers / Bengals playoff 1981. I was a Charger fan and I was livid that Rozelle didn’t cancel. -58 windchill. 2 people died in the stands. Insane.
I’ve seen QBs benefit very well from taking fairly minor helmet to helmet contact. Seems they should pay a price for initiating it.
Seems like a flaw in the rules. The QB can take advantage of it and run the ball.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.