The NFL announced 22 fines for players around the league in accordance with their on-field behavior in Week 15, though noticeably absent from the list was Da’Shawn Hand of the Los Angeles Chargers who knocked Patrick Mahomes out for the season and dashed the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff hopes in the process.
Hand, an eight-year veteran defensive lineman and league journeyman, went low with his hit on Mahomes during the Chiefs’ final drive on Sunday, December 14 at Arrowhead Stadium.
“After trying to extend a play to his right, [Mahomes] threw the ball away just before his left leg was twisted awkwardly, as he planted his foot and Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand brought him down,” NFL.com’s Around the NFL Staff wrote following the game.
Mahomes left the field, with the team announcing shortly afterward that the QB had torn the ACL and LCL in his left knee and would miss the remainder of the game and the year.
In the meantime, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew entered the contest with the Chiefs trailing by three points and needing at least a field goal to potentially force overtime and keep their postseason chances alive. A few plays after he came in, Minshew threw an interception that sealed Kansas City’s fate.
The league could have punished Hand retroactively, likely via a fine, if the Office of Gameday Accountability had determined the hit on Mahomes was illegal. The referees did not throw a flag on the play, and the NFL ultimately deemed that Hand’s hit was clean, even though the result of it was catastrophic for Mahomes as well as the Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes Could Miss Multiple Games Next Season With Knee Injury
GettyKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Hand’s play on Mahomes also potentially changed the course of Kansas City’s franchise history in multiple ways.
A victory for the Chiefs last weekend and Mahomes’ continued health could have resulted in the team extending its playoff streak to 11 years. Kansas City’s streaks of seven consecutive AFC title game appearances also ended when Mahomes’ season did, as did the Chiefs’ streak of three straight Super Bowl appearances, which included wins following the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.
Mahomes could miss the beginning of next season because of the extra complications an LCL tear adds to a standard ACL injury, which might end up impacting the team’s record and playoff contention next year.
Da’Shawn Hand Hit on Patrick Mahomes Could Contribute to Travis Kelce’s Retirement Following the Season
GettyTight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Then there is the career of tight end Travis Kelce to consider. Kelce has three games remaining this season before his contract expires.
At 36 years old, Kelce has played 13 campaigns in the league. He has 10 Pro Bowl appearances, seven All-Pro selections, three championship rings and a surefire Hall of Fame statistical resumé.
Kelce has avoided talking about his potential retirement twice this week, once on his “New Heights” podcast and again during a media session on Friday.
However, the disappointing end to the 2025 season and the deflating injury to Mahomes could influence Kelce’s decision, as he has several lucrative media and business opportunities awaiting him in retirement from football.
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