Over the course of just a few hours on Sunday, two of the NFL's superstars sustained brutal knee injuries.
First, it was Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL. And then it was Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons with the same injury.
They were the type of moments were fans feared for the worst, then didn't have to wait that long for the reports to confirm the fears.
A torn ACL is a relatively common injury in the football parlance. It's something familiar, something pretty much always season-ending (even if it happens in Week 1, let alone the current Week 15).
But there is something a bit different with these injuries happening this late in the year. They raise the question of how long it might take to get back.
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ACL recovery timeline in NFL
Classically, a torn ACL was viewed as a year recovery, 12 months until a player was back on the field. That's how it played out for a long time.
These days, though, with advances in medical technology and rehab, players are cutting their comebacks shorter.
Maybe the best comparison here is Stefon Diggs, although at wide receiver he plays a different position than either Mahomes or Parsons.
Diggs tore his ACL on Oct. 27, 2024 playing for the Houston Texans. He was fully cleared for training camp participation on July 22, 2025. That's just shy of nine months.
If we go nine months from Sunday's day of injuries (12/14/25), that takes us to Sept. 14, 2026. On the NFL schedule, Sept. 13 will be Sunday of Week 2 next season.
It's unlikely that Mahomes or Parsons would get back faster than Diggs did, especially given their importance and the way their teams are likely to be extra careful to get their recoveries right.
Even if they get back that fast, though, it makes Week 1 of 2026 feel like quite the longshot, and maybe a slow ramp up into the early weeks at some point after that.
If one of the recoveries is closer to the traditional 11 or 12 months, their team could be without them until halfway or more into next season, which would be a brutal fate.
Fans of the Chiefs and Packers will certainly be clinging to every bit of news throughout the offseason on these very important knees.
More NFL news:
- Jaxson Dart has a 50% head injury problem
- Trevor Lawrence had a game never before done by an NFL quarterback
- Mack Hollins really doesn't like wearing shoes
- Micah Parsons' injury doesn't look good
- Patrick Mahomes' injury has fans asking Tom Brady ACL question
- Commanders' All-Pro puts down fans' draft order concerns