Patrick Mahomes' broken helmet 'did its job' in protecting him, manufacturer says
The manufacturer of the helmet that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shattered during their AFC wild-card game with Miami says it “did its job” by protecting the league MVP.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The manufacturer of the helmet that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shattered during their AFC wild-card game with Miami says it “did its job” by protecting the league MVP “during a head-to-head impact in unprecedented cold temperatures.”
The game Saturday night was the fourth-coldest in NFL history. The temperature at kickoff was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and winds gusting to more than 25 mph made the wind chill approach minus 30 during the game.
“Extreme conditions like those are bound to test the limits of even the highest-performing products,” Certor Sports, which makes the VICIS ZERO2 helmet that Mahomes was wearing, said in a statement Wednesday.
Mahomes was scrambling toward the end zone in the second half of the Chiefs’ 26-7 victory when he was hit by Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott. Their helmets clashed and, likely because of the extreme cold that made the outer shell brittle, a fist-sized chunk went flying from Mahomes’ helmet just above the facemask covering his left eye.
“They’re testing it right now,” Mahomes said Wednesday, “but I’m adamant on getting the helmet after. It’s something that’s cool, I’ll be able to keep for a long time. Like they said, it did its job. I was perfectly fine after.”
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