In many ways, the Kansas City Chiefs are this era's version of the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots, but 2025 is a bit of a deviation from that path.
The Patriots never had a losing season after Tom Brady ascended to the starting job in 2001, winning at a high level until the day he left after the 2019 season and bringing six Lombardi Trophies back to Foxborough in total. While the Chiefs seemed to have some of that same magic on their way to three Super Bowl wins, they will miss the playoffs in 2025 and are staring down a losing season at 6-8.
To make matters worse, QB Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, which will force the two-time MVP to miss time due to injury for the first time since 2019. As it turns out, Brady faced a similar fate right around the same point in his career.
Here's what you need to know about Brady's ACL injury and how it's drawing comparisons to Mahomes' injury.
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When did Tom Brady tear his ACL?
Brady suffered a torn ACL in the first game of the 2008 season, right after leading the Patriots to an undefeated regular season that came to a crashing halt in Super Bowl 42.
Ironically, the injury happened against the Chiefs. Safety Bernard Pollard delivered the hit that awkwardly bent Brady's knee. While Brady was able to walk off the field, much like Mahomes, tests soon confirmed the bad news.
The injury sent shockwaves through the NFL. The Patriots went from Super Bowl favorites to searching for an identity overnight, and the entire landscape of the 2008 season was changed. Brady was forced to sit out the remainder of the season and shift his focus to 2009 despite never having missed a game due to injury in his NFL career.
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When did Tom Brady return?
Brady missed the entire 2008 season with a torn ACL but was ready for the start of the 2009 season, thanks to the timing of the injury.
In the meantime, the 2008 was a rare blip on the radar for the Patriots. New England missed the playoffs, marking one of two times in which the franchise fell short of the playoffs during Brady's 19 seasons with the team.
The Patriots didn't struggle all that much, though. They finished the season 11-5 with Matt Cassel under center, only narrowly missing the playoffs in a top-heavy AFC. The following season, they would qualify for the playoffs with a 10-6 record after Brady's return.
Here's what you need to know about Mahomes' injury and how it is strikingly similar to Brady's.
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What happened to Patrick Mahomes?
Mahomes suffered a torn left ACL against the Chargers on Sunday, ending his season.
Mahomes left knee buckles and he has left the game pic.twitter.com/a0dkUXynjE
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) December 14, 2025
Like Brady's injury, the Mahomes news sent shockwaves through the NFL. The three-time Super Bowl champion has been one of the league's most durable players since becoming the Chiefs' starter, missing only two games due to injury and none since winning his first championship at the end of the 2019 season.
Had the injury happened in September as Brady's did, the news might have totally turned the NFL upside down. That isn't the case because the Chiefs were already on the verge of elimination when Mahomes went down. Mahomes was attempting to lead a game-tying or game-winning drive when he exited, but even a win would have left Kansas City with serious work to do to climb back into the playoff picture.
While the Chiefs were eliminated, the timing of the injury coincidentally allows one key comparison between Mahomes and Brady to stand: Brady famously never took a snap with his team mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Despite Kansas City's season being over with three games remaining, that will remain true for Mahomes.
That wasn't the only similarity fans noticed between Mahomes and Brady. Mahomes won three Super Bowls in his first eight seasons, one of which was spent as a backup, before tearing his ACL and missing the playoffs in year nine. That is the exact scenario that happened to Brady in 2008, even right down to three Super Bowls in his first eight seasons.
Tom Brady in NFL Season 8: going for his 4th ring, loses in the Super Bowl
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) December 14, 2025
Patrick Mahomes in NFL Season 8: going for his 4th ring, loses in the Super Bowl
Tom Brady in Season 9: injures knee, team misses playoffs
Patrick Mahomes in Season 9: injures knee, team misses playoffs
Of course, Brady fans would tell you the Patriots would almost certainly have made the playoffs if he was healthy, whereas the Chiefs were on the doorstep of elimination after Mahomes played 14 games. There is no arguing with that, but the injury to Mahomes brings up a clear parallel between the two legendary quarterbacks.
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How long is Patrick Mahomes out?
Mahomes will miss the remainder of the season, but his rehab figures to extend deep into the offseason at the very least.
While the Chiefs haven't yet released any details about surgical plans for Mahomes or a timeline for his recovery, ACL tears are typically 8-12 month injuries when surgery is required, as it often is. That timeline would put Mahomes on track for a potential Week 1 return in 2026, coming just under nine months after the injury, but that is a tight timeline to follow. If Mahomes' recovery lasted 10 months, he would be out until mid-October for the Chiefs.
Still fairly young without a major injury history, Mahomes has hope for a shorter recovery time with plenty of runway to get ready for the 2026 season.
ACL recovery time in NFL
With surgery and rehab, an ACL tear typically requires an 8-12 month recovery period, according to Bass Medical Group. A torn ACL is typically seen as season-ending in any major sport if it occurs in-season, as 8-9 months is the bare minimum recovery time, so a long offseason awaits for Mahomes.
If Mahomes starts recovery soon and attacks his rehab in the offseason, that timeline gives him a chance to be ready for the start of the 2026 season, which is just under nine months after he went down. The injury will at the very least impact his availability for the Chiefs' offseason program and make his Week 1 status one of the dominant training camp storylines in the NFL.
MORE: Full details on ACL recovery time in the NFL