Meanwhile, Gardner Minshew left with Kansas City’s playoff hopes on the line.
Down 16-13 with 1:53 left and the ball at the Chargers 46-yard line, Minshew completed three short passes before Derwin James caught his fifth pass of the drive to end the game and eliminate the division rivals for their 11th straight postseason game.
Mahomes was constantly harassed by LA’s defense before the injury, getting sacked five times and getting a few more hits while the Chargers pass pressured him on 48.6% of his drops, according to Next Generation Stats.
It matched Sunday’s effort for Mahomes, who went 16-of-28 passing for 189 yards, including one brutal interception early in the fourth quarter that led to a long Chargers possession that took seven-plus minutes off the clock.
While the Chiefs defense did their thing, Mahomes and Co. a chance to wipe out another rough outing with a game-winning play.
Instead, Mahomes’ health was a concern as the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.